Most deaths in the United States are preventable, and related to nutrition.
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Transcript: Why You Should Care About Nutrition
Does it really matter what we eat? Well, the good news is, we have tremendous power over our health destiny and longevity. The majority of premature death and disability is preventable, with a healthy enough diet. It’s…the…food.
Most deaths in the United States are preventable, and related to nutrition. According to the most rigorous analysis of risk factors ever published—the Global Burden of Disease Study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—the number one cause of death in the United States, and the number one cause of disability, is our diet, which has bumped tobacco smoking to number two. Smoking now only kills a half million Americans every year, whereas our diet kills hundreds of thousands more.
What we eat is the number one determinant of how long we live. What we eat is what determines most whether we’ll die prematurely. What we eat is what determines most whether we become disabled or not.
So, if our diet is the number one cause of death and disability, if most deaths in the United States are preventable, and related to nutrition, then, obviously, nutrition is the number one thing taught in medical school. Right? Obviously, it’s the number one thing your doctor talks to you about at every visit. Right?
Unfortunately, doctors suffer from a severe nutrition deficiency—in education. Most doctors are just never taught about the impact healthy nutrition can have on the course of illness, and so, they graduate without this powerful tool in their medical toolbox.
Now, there are also institutional barriers—such as time constraints, and lack of reimbursement. In general, doctors aren’t paid for counseling people on how to take better care of themselves. Of course, the drug companies also play a role in influencing medical education and practice. Ask your doctor when’s the last time they were taken out to dinner by Big Broccoli—it’s probably been a while.
That’s why I started NutritionFacts.org. It’s the tool I wish I had in medical training. NutritionFacts.org is a free, nonprofit, science-based public service, providing daily updates on the latest in nutrition research via bite-sized videos. There are videos on more than 2,000 health and nutrition topics—all free—with new videos and articles uploaded every day on the latest in evidence-based nutrition. What a concept.
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
I like these new introductory videos! That said from a video production POV Dr Greger’s glasses are quite reflective. Consider using anti-reflection coated glasses and/or changing the lighting when recording the videos. I mean this only as constructive, friendly advice – I’m a huge fan of Nutrition Facts.Report
Ask your doc “when was the last time you when out to dinner with ‘big broccoli’? ” Love it!!!! I’m going to steal that line for a workshop I’m going to do on “optimal aging” – with full credit to Dr. Greger of course. Plus a link to the 10 videos. Your content is great Doctor!Report
Gary Foster: Sounds like it is going to be a great lecture. Good luck. :-)Report
Until nutrition is seen as a therapy like drugs and surgery, it will not be taught in medical schools. And even if it were, I think that students would be educated to advise patients to eat a “variety of meats and dairy products” in “moderation”, along with plenty of vegetables and small to no portions of grains and potatoes. Oh, and keep fruit to a minimum, I mean, all that SUGAR. In other words, teaching nutrition to med students would probably promote an omnivore diet rather than a plant based diet.
This is the power of the animal agriculture industry, and that is the narrow focus of medical education. The propaganda we are fed by the meat, egg and dairy industries has a long and wide reach. I am trained as a naturopathic doctor, and in our four years we study nutrition in depth. However, vegan diets are seen as lacking by the ND schools. It’s believed that without animal foods we would have nutritional deficiencies of protein, B12, iron, and zinc. I know this isn’t true, but this is the belief pushed on us. This results in NDs who focus on treating diabetes with low carb diets, for example, further perpetuating the belief that you can’t be truly healthy without eating animals.Report
Can you treat ADHD with nutrition?Report
Thanks for your question Susan.
According to Harvard Health Publications & I quote the important take-away messages:
– “Diet alone probably isn’t the driving force behind the multiple behavioral and cognitive symptoms that plague children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But several studies have renewed interest in whether certain foods and additives might affect particular symptoms in a subset of children with ADHD.”
– “encourage children with ADHD to consume levels of omega-3 fatty acids recommended as part of a healthy diet”: Healthy sources of omega-3 are chia seeds, flaxseed, walnuts, hempseed and microalgae oil.
– “Megadoses of vitamins, which can be toxic, must be avoided.”
– “Eat a diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthful unsaturated fats, and good sources of protein (legumes, nuts, seeds, soy, tofu, seitan, tempeh, greens, etc.); go easy on unhealthy saturated and trans fats, rapidly digested carbohydrates, and fast food; and balance healthy eating with plenty of physical activity. A healthful diet may reduce symptoms of ADHD by reducing exposure to artificial colors and additives and improving intake of omega-3 fats and micronutrients. But it certainly will improve overall health and nutrition, and set the stage for a lifetime of good health.”
Hope this answer helps.Report
EDITORIAL QUALITY (CONTENT) EXCELLENT– AUDIO QUALITY MUCH IMPROVED, BUT STILL NEEDS ADULT SUPERVISION
Dr. Greg never went to broadcaster’s school, and probably never will. Nonetheless, his basically good voice needs some help– particularly with breath support, as he drops all too frequently to half-whispered final syllables. When we turn up the volume in slight irritation– “what did he say, then?”– and repeat the passage, we finally understand the words, and can proceed.
Only to find, seconds later, we are suddenly blown across the room as our elevated volume level encounters a new passage and/or recording session, when Dr. Greg’s voice comes across exuberantly, but abnormally loud (and certainly clear).
Not to mention the times when Dr. Greger’s flurries of jumbled words (as he summarizes prior research) defy understanding, and are lost to history until we back up the video/audio, once again, and repeat the exercise– sometimes more than twice, simply to understand. YouTube’s “Subtitles/Closed Captions” feature sometimes helps, but not that often with really difficult verbal flurries. Perhaps a mnemonic to help Dr. Greger make his delivery is to imagine we are patients in his office, and our nutritional health hangs on his every (clearly understood) syllable.
For my part, I consider Dr. Greger’s work immensely rich and rewarding, and well worth my occasional struggle with the audio (yes, my own hearing is excellent, which is why I am sensitized to the problem). But new visitors may not find it so beneficial– particularly with what they cannot hear, in the first place. They will move along to a site they can hear more clearly. This last point is especially relevant in “nutrition evangelism”– if Dr. Greger cannot be clearly understood, his message always will have an unnecessarily high mortality with those he tries to help. With all the justified managerial concern about those new to the NutritionFacts.org website, standardizing the audio level for consistency across the website (if only to match the excellent video) should be a priority.
* And when I actually retire (in word, if not deed), I plan to contribute more transcriptions than I already have.Report
I think it’s interesting my a1c was 7 and I asked to be scheduled to talk to a nutritionist in May when I was diagnosed with diabetes and I refused medicine. I didn’t want medicine, so I couldn’t see a nutritionist. He said eat less sugar and exercise, so I did my own research that helped me fine some great doctors educated and this website I love. He’s in it to really help but some of the other smart doctors want to help if you pay. But 3 months later on a vegetarian diet 5 days per week and my typical diet 2 days per week my a1c was 5.6 in July. That is considered high but normal range. My doctor finally agrees to let me talk to a nutritionist and that’s scheduled in late October, but that’s after I did my own research and got my numbers normal without help. It doesn’t seem fair that your own your own if you refuse medicine. Oh and now that I am high normal my doctor is sending me to some diabetic education at a hospital. It seems a day late and dollar short but I’ll go for help. Now he has ordered more blood test this year than I’ve ever had in my entire life. So I am being extreme saying I was left on my own. I’ll share my results. And the blood work goes down in things like triglycorides, glucose, cholesterol and something called risk factor. Everything else was normal and no significant changes either way. And I get my third a1c test in mid October. I’ve been told I’m getting excellent care because my doctor checked all my blood test a1c and cholesterol and vitamins and a bunch other sense I changed my diet. He was amazed my cholesterol could go down more. My bad cholesterol was 75 and now it’s 60, but my good cholesterol also dropped from 50 to 40. I think my doctor is sending me to a nutritionist more about curious how all my numbers could change. He thought everything was good except vitamin D, but now everything is great except vitamin D and calcium. Some of my results changed a little; calcium went down a little from 8.8 to 8.4 and protein only went down a little from 7.2 to 6.9. I’ve never been a big meat eater, so I can eat 1 piece of chicken breast for 3 days. I usually add very little meat, so I’ve always had low cholesterol with every lab done on me. I complained about diary and meat my whole life, so I’m probably a bad example of how your cholesterol can go down. So you can get everything you need from a plant based diet. My vitamins are higher or the same in most areas. And keep in mind that my vitamin d was low to begin and protein and calcium drops are not significant drops. I just wanted to share cus this doctor is amazing and I wish there were more like him. He has helped me like no one else and if it wasn’t for him I would still be eating salad and regular salad dressing wondering why I’m not seeing results. I would still be running on a treadmill with my high blood pressure medicine preventing me from seeing results instead of getting healthier to get off that medicine and see results at the gym. On the medicine I couldn’t get my heart rate over 80 cus as soon as it was 80 the medicine started to work to get it down. Now no high blood pressure medicine and I see weight loss and healthy heart rate and blood pressure. I am 118/78 usually and I was 145/90. So he has saved my life with his videos. Listen to him!!!Report
Oh yeah if your on medications… Make sure you tell your doctor so he can adjust any as needed. I was on high blood pressure and on my vegetarian/vegan type food days my blood pressure was 90/70. I’m not kidding you, so he lowered me 2x before he had to take me off medication. I also noticed carrots and apples only raised my blood sugar a couple points…. and I went down really fast in like 5 days I went from 140 to 110 and then I played around 110 for 2 weeks before I went down to 70. And I used rice and oatmeal to raise it cus carrots and apples no matter how many you eat will bring you from 70 to 73 after 2 bags of carrots or 2 apples. So you have to work with your doctor and tell him you really want to go plant based. Otherwise you will flip out when your number change so fast. That’s my best advise to a newbie but I still consider myself a newbie.Report
Melissa, I am a volunteer for Dr. Greger, and you are ABSOLUTELY correct that anyone should communicate with their doctor before beginning a whole food, plant-based diet IF they are on a medication or have any other health concerns. It can actually be incredibly dangerous to continue taking a blood pressure-lowering drug while eating a whole food, plant-based diet for long-term without reducing the blood pressure lowering drug. Among other dangers, it can cause blood pressure to go to low that one may feel nauseous or even faint. Thanks for the advice to others who may not be aware!Report
Melissa: That’s a really great story. *Thank you* for taking the time to share it with us!
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re: things happening fast. That’s one of the cautions that several doctors around here make. If you are going to take your health into your hands and start eating a healthy diet, and if you are on blood pressure and/or diabetes medications, you need to work with a doctor because your body could heal itself very fast, requiring the need to adjust medications quickly.
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You are an inspiration for us all. Thank you.Report
big broccoli. lol.Report
Hi, can you please provide some insight into what I can do to help my very pettite daughter with her height. she is quite a small girl and isn’t growing, we are being assessed with an endochronologist however I was interested in finding out if there are any natural products/foods/remedies that I could also try.Report
Hello Renae, thanks for your question. I am a family physician in private practice and also a volunteer moderator for this website. I will try to answer your question. First, I recommend that you learn more about “growth delay” in children. This link will take you to a very helpful set of questions and answers by doctors at the world-famous Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Seeing an endocrinologist, or pediatrician with expertise in growth delay, is very important so that you can be sure to rule out any treatable medical condition which could cause growth delay, such as hypothyroidism, intestinal malabsorption, or a food allergy. Having said that, the most common cause of growth delay is “constitutional growth delay”, which essentially means someone who is a “late bloomer”, and will eventually grow to normal size.
In terms of dietary influences, as long as your daughter is eating a balanced diet composed mainly of whole foods (i.e. not processed foods), she is probably getting adequate nutrition. On this website, we emphasize plant-based nutrition. There are a couple of good guides for plant-based diets for children published by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine:
– http://www.pcrm.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/health/info_children.pdf and
– http://www.pcrm.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/health/info_advchild.pdf
(You can copy each of these links and paste into your web browser).
If you do put her on a vegetarian or vegan diet, you probably will need to give her supplemental vitamin B-12, and possibly also some Vitamin D, and iodine. You can use the “Search” box on this website to look for videos Dr. G. has done on these supplements. Generally speaking, though, most nutritional supplements are not necessary if your daughter is eating a healthy diet. I hope this helps.Report
Nutrition is very important for healting dok,,, thanks
http://www.mufasyamedia.co.idReport
Absolutely love your website. As a dietitian, I plan to use in classes. Slightly heavy on the statistics which lay person may struggle with. THANKS, everyone.Report