Today’s blog post comes from Orvel Douglas a Nutrition and Diet Specialist at Body Sculpt of New York. This post follows Orvel’s previous post, A Plant-Based Diet Will Give You Optimum Health.
Mr Douglas is a Certified Nutrition and Diet Specialist in the United States where he has worked as an independent nutrition consultant for various organizations and companies. He has provided nutrition counseling and workshops for the following organizations: Medgar Evers College Empowering Youth to Excel and Succeed Project (“EYES”); United Federation of Teachers; DC 37 and 1199 SEIU. Mr. Douglas is currently providing nutrition workshops for the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) for their Access to Recovery Program (ATR) in Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Douglas is also the Lead Nutritionist for Body Sculpt of New York’s Six Weeks to Fitness programs.
In last month’s blog I encouraged everyone to think about adopting a plant-based diet and highlighted some of the benefits of such a diet. Many studies have shown that animal proteins are causing many preventable diseases. What I have found is that when a person removes all animal protein from their diet many ailments tend to disappear. The Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine have been doing a lot of work in this area with the sole purpose of refocusing our efforts on prevention over pills. In this blog I wanted to take the time to summarize some of their work on identifying some of the dangers of a diet high in meat.
Meat-Eating is a Risk Factor for Developing Diabetes
February 21, 2014- Doctors should consider meat-eating to be a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, according to an article published in the journal Nutrients. Researchers from the Physicians Committee evaluated studies that examined different levels and types of meat consumption and the risk for developing diabetes. Meat-eaters had significantly higher risk of developing diabetes, compared with people who avoided meat. Meat’s effect on diabetes risk appears to be due to its content of saturated fat and haeme iron, among other factors. The authors recommend that consumption of meat products should be part of any screening for a patient’s risk for diabetes, alongside other established risk factors.
Animal Protein Linked to Early Death
March 4, 2014 – A diet high in animal protein leads to an earlier death, compared to a diet where less is consumed, according to a study analyzing data from 6,381 American adults aged 50 and older. Participants who ate the most animal protein had a 5-fold increase risk of death related to diabetes. Those younger than 65 who ate the most animal protein had a 74 percent increase risk for death from any cause and a 4-fold increase in death related to cancer, during a follow-up of 18 years. Risks for death were diminished or absent when protein sources were plant-derived.
Cholesterol Levels Lower in Vegans
February 10, 2014 – Those who consume vegan diets have better cholesterol levels than people who eat meat, fish, dairy, and/or egg products, according to a study published this month in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers examined data and blood samples from 1,694 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Oxford (EPIC) study. Participants were categorized as meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. Those who ate a vegan diet consumed the most fiber, the least total fat and saturated fat, and had the healthiest body weight and cholesterol levels, of all the diet groups.A previous analysisfrom the EPIC study found that vegan and vegetarian groups had a 32 percent lower risk of hospitalization or death from heart disease.
The Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine’s Stance on Meat
PCRM promotes a vegetarian or vegan diet, together with aerobic and weight-bearing exercises and exposure to sufficient sunlight for vitamin D production. It writes that vegetarian diets are low in saturated fat, high in dietary fiber, contain phytochemicals that PCRM argues help prevent cancer, and contain no cholesterol. Its website cites several studies that it says show that vegetarians are less likely than meat eaters to develop cancer. It argues that a vegetarian diet can help prevent heart disease, lower blood pressure, can prevent and may reverse diabetes, and that it may improve the symptoms of a number of other conditions.[6] PCRM runs the Cancer Project, which suggests a vegan diet will help with cancer prevention, and that offers nutritional assistance to cancer patients.[7]
PCRM argues for the health benefits of avoiding dairy products—Barnard has called cheese “dairy crack”[8]—and campaigns for vegetarian meals in schools.[9] It also runs a website that collects reports of adverse health effects experienced by people on the Atkins diet. The New York Times writes that it was PCRM who in 2004 passed Dr Robert Atkins‘s medical report to the Wall Street Journal. The report, obtained by Dr. Richard Fleming of the Fleming Heart and Health Institute, showed that Atkins himself had experienced heart attack, congestive heart failure, and weight problems. Atkins supporters countered that there was no reason to think that his heart problem (cardiomyopathy) was diet related, and that his weight at death was higher due to fluids pumped into him in the hospital.[10]
The organization’s founder, Neal Barnard, M.D., has published dozens of peer-reviewed papers on nutrition in journals such asThe American Journal of Cardiology, The Lancet Oncology, and the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.[11] Naturewrote in 2006 that PCRM had become “an endless source of vexation for federal nutrition-policymakers,” but that Barnard’s position had some support within the medical community. William Roberts, a PCRM adviser, executive director of the Baylor Cardiovascular Institute, and editor of the American Journal of Cardiology said of Barnard. “He’s a superb man. Anybody who devotes their life like he has done to getting us all on the right dietary track, I admire.”
There is mounting evidence that turning awary from a meat-based diet is the best option for us and will significantly improve our health and wellbeing. We encourage everyone to take a look at their diet and cut out meat where they can, your health depends on it.
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