The famous quote, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” (Nordqvist), attributed to the Greek physician, Hippocrates, suggests that food can be medicinal. This idea has never been more relevant than it is today. For around 2.5 million years, humans have subsisted on meat and animal products, however, evidence is starting to show the negative effects of this type of diet. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), chronic illnesses, or long-lasting health conditions, are the leading cause of death in the United States. The solution lies in plant-based diets, which can help prevent and reverse heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

The detrimental impact of meat consumption on heart disease is examined in the following articles, which highlight significant levels of cholesterol and saturated fat found in meat products. Further, they emphasize the benefits of a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diet. According to the American Heart Association, meat is often loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat, which negatively affects heart health (American Heart Association). In an article from the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn states:

If you, as a cardiologist or a cardiac surgeon, decided to hang your shingle in Okinawa, the Papua Highlands of New Guinea, rural China, Central Africa, or with the Tarahumara Indians of Northern Mexico, you better plan on a different profession because these countries do not have cardiovascular disease…they all thrive on whole food, plant-based nutrition with minimal intake of animal products. (Esselstyn)

Residents of the afore-mentioned countries have eliminated most animals and animal products from their diets, opting for a WFPB diet. This demonstrates a correlation between the WFPB diet and the absence of heart disease. In the US, the causes of heart disease are often overlooked, and medicine is typically prescribed. Medicine for chronic illness will provide temporary relief, but a more permanent solution is needed to solve the problem. Dr. Ken MacLeod, who suffered cardiac arrest after completing a 5K run, published his success story in Forks Over Knives. While in the hospital, Macleod’s friend gave him the books, The China Study and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. He followed the WFPB diet outlined in the books and had astonishing results. After three months, he “had lost 35 pounds,” and his “cholesterol and triglyceride numbers were cut by well over half from what they were.” In addition, MacLeod was able to cut his “cholesterol medication by half.” A devout follower of the WFPB diet, MacLeod claims to have become a “low-fat plant-based evangelist to anyone who will listen” (MacLeod).

Not only can plant-based diets reduce heart disease, they can also reduce the risk of cancer. This is crucial as these illnesses can be toxic to our health, making them extremely important to treat. In an article from the journal, MDPI, author Andras Fehér et al., Clinical Informatic Solutions Leader at Aladdin Medical, states that reducing meat consumption in favor of plant-based diets can effectively reduce the likelihood of “developing some types of cancer.” Fehér further states that red meat is “probably carcinogenic,” and processed meat products are “carcinogenic to humans,” according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (Fehér et al.). In an article from Harvard Medical School, Katherine McManus, Director of the Department of Nutrition at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital explains how the Mediterranean diet has been shown “to reduce risk of…certain cancers (specifically colon, breast, and prostate cancer)” (McManus). Another article, by Harvard Health Publishing, describes the Mediterranean diet as “vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, poultry, fish, and olive oil” (Harvard Health Publishing). Although fish and chicken are part of this diet, there is no meat, suggesting meat is one of the main culprits of cancer. Both cancer and heart disease are major chronic illnesses that cause many deaths. According to the CDC, about 695,000 people in the US died from heart disease, and 605,213 people have died from cancer in 2021 (CDC). The risk of these illnesses can be significantly reduced by swapping out a diet of meat and animal products for one that is plant-based. In addition, Mediterranean diets can reduce the risk of cancer.

Plant-based diets can also help reverse type 2 diabetes. In the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Gunadhar Panigrahi, et al., state that they helped 37% of type 2 diabetes patients achieve remission by having them follow a “low-fat, whole food, plant-predominant diet while receiving standard medical treatment.” In addition to helping patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the group also concluded that “a vegetarian diet is associated with better glycemic control,” and the risk of type 2 diabetes “was lower among more plant-predominant diet followers (vegans, lacto-ovo, pesco-, and semi-vegetarians) as compared to nonvegetarians” (Panigrahi et al.). Switching to plant-based, or primarily plant-based diets can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Nonvegetarians were shown to have a higher risk of diabetes than those who followed plant-based style diets. Based on this research, diabetes is another example of a chronic illness that can be reversed and prevented by plant-based diets.

As mentioned previously, meat and animal products cause inflammation, which can lead to chronic illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, diabetes, and more. These illnesses are the leading causes of death, and therefore society should be motivated to treat them. Diets that include mostly fruits and vegetables reduce inflammation and therefore reduce the risk of these illnesses. In an article by the University of Chicago Medicine, Dr. Edwin McDonald states that “Mediterranean and plant-based diets, which are low in red meat and processed foods, can offer some protection against chronic inflammation” (McDonald). Plant-based diets and diets with reduced amounts of meat are beneficial for reducing inflammation in the body, suggesting that inflammation is either caused or increased by meat and animal products. In an article in the Nutrients journal, Dr. Alexandros Tsoupras, a lecturer in food sciences at the University of Limerick, mentions that a number of studies have proven the medical benefits of the Mediterranean diet, particularly with conditions such as “heart failure, CVD, cancer, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and other subsequent manifestations…” (Tsoupras). This proves that when eating a mostly Mediterranean diet, not only is inflammation reduced, but chronic illnesses can be effectively treated or prevented. Plant-based diets, specifically the Mediterranean diet, are nothing new. According to a Nutrients journal article by John Anderson, in the Department of Nutrition, at UNC Chapel Hill, the Mediterranean diet, closely resembles “the classical pattern of eating practiced by Greeks and other Mediterranean populations” (Anderson). In an article from the National Library of Medicine, Dr. Frederico Alisson-Silva, et al. state that red meat is “one of the most consistent epidemiological associations between diet and human disease risk” (Alisson-Silva et al.). The group draws a correlation between red-meat consumption and “all-cause mortality, colorectal and other carcinomas, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and possibly other inflammatory processes” (Alisson-Silva et al.). Thus, by eliminating red meats, one can eliminate inflammation, and therefore prevent or treat chronic illness.

According to the CDC, diseases such as “heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Improved treatment and prevention of these chronic illnesses could have a profound impact on the lives of thousands of individuals. There are several negative effects of eating a meat-based diet, including high cholesterol content and the carcinogenic properties of red meat, processed meats, and animal products. Therefore, by not eating meat, the risk of cancer can be reduced, as noted by Dr. Panigrahi and his colleagues, and following a plant-based diet can reverse type 2 diabetes. Dr. Tsoupras also supports the conclusion that inflammation in the body is a leading cause of many chronic illnesses which the Mediterranean diet can be used to effectively treat. Embracing a plant-based diet is a step towards preventing and reducing the risk of these life-threatening diseases, while demonstrating the strong connection between dietary choices and a potentially longer, healthier life.

Work Cited

Alisson-Silva F;Kawanishi K;Varki. “Human Risk of Diseases Associated with Red Meat Intake: Analysis of Current Theories and Proposed Role for Metabolic Incorporation of a Non-Human Sialic Acid.” Molecular Aspects of Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27421909/.

Anderson, John, and David Nieman. “Diet Quality — the Greeks Had It Right!” Nutrients, vol. 8, no. 10, 14 Oct. 2016, p. 636, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5084023/, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8100636.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “About Chronic Diseases | CDC.” Www.cdc.gov, 20 May 2020, www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/index.htm#:~:text=Chronic%20diseases%20are%20defined%20broadly.

Edwin McDonald, MD. “Foods That Cause Inflammation & How to Reduce Inflammation.” Foods That Cause Inflammation & How to Reduce Inflammation — UChicago Medicine, UChicago Medicine, 4 Sept. 2020, www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/gastrointestinal-articles/what-foods-cause-or-reduce-inflammation.

Esselstyn, Caldwell B. “A Plant-Based Diet and Coronary Artery Disease: A Mandate for Effective Therapy.” Journal of Geriatric Cardiology : JGC, vol. 14, no. 5, 2017, pp. 317–320, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466936/#, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466936/

FastStats — Cancer. 2019, www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/cancer.htm.

Fehér, András, et al. “A Comprehensive Review of the Benefits of and the Barriers to the Switch to a Plant-Based Diet.” Sustainability, vol. 12, no. 10, 1 Jan. 2020, p. 4136, www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/10/4136, https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104136.

MacLeod, Dr Ken. “After Cardiac Arrest Nearly Killed Me, I Went Vegan.” Forks over Knives, 26 May 2020, www.forksoverknives.com/success-stories/after-cardiac-arrest-nearly-killed-me-i-went-vegan/.

McManus, Katherine. “What Is a Plant-Based Diet and Why Should You Try It?” Harvard Health Blog, 27 Sept. 2021, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-a-plant-based-diet-and-why-should-you-try-it-2018092614760

Panigrahi Gunadhar, et al. “Remission of Type 2 Diabetes after Treatment with a High-Fiber, Low-Fat, Plant-Predominant Diet Intervention: A Case Series.” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15 June 2023, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15598276231181574

Tsoupras, Alexandros, et al. “Inflammation, Not Cholesterol, Is a Cause of Chronic Disease.” Nutrients, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 12 May 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5986484/.