

Plant-Based Diets
Researchers have shown that a more plant-based diet may help prevent, treat, or reverse some of our leading causes of death, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. Interventional studies of plant-based diets have shown, for example, 90 percent reductions in angina attacks within just a few weeks. Plant-based diet intervention groups have reported greater diet satisfaction than control groups, as well as improved digestion, increased energy, and better sleep, and significant improvement in their physical functioning, general health, vitality, and mental health. Studies have shown plant-based eating can improve not only body weight, blood sugar levels, and ability to control cholesterol, but also emotional states, including depression, anxiety, fatigue, sense of well-being, and daily functioning.
Only one way of eating has ever been proven to reverse heart disease in the majority of patients: a diet centered around whole plant foods. If that’s all a whole-food, plant-based diet could do—reverse our number-one killer—shouldn’t that be the default diet until proven otherwise? The fact it may also be effective in preventing, treating, and arresting other leading killers seems to make the case for plant-based eating simply overwhelming.
The information on this page has been compiled from Dr. Greger’s research. Sources for each video listed can be found by going to the video’s page and clicking on the Sources Cited tab. References may also be found at the back of his books.
Image Credit: Pixabay. This image has been modified.
Popular Videos for Plant-Based Diets


The Best Diet for Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism
Is the apparent protection of plant-based diets for thyroid health due to the exclusion of...
Are Vegans at Risk for Iodine Deficiency?
Most plant-based milks are not fortified with iodine.
Foods That Help Headache & Migraine Relief
Plant-based diets are put to the test for treating migraine headaches.
Is Vegan Food Always Healthy?
Healthier plant-based diets compared to unhealthy plant foods and animal foods on diabetes risk.
Plant-Based Diets Recognized by Diabetes Associations
Plant-based diets as the single most important, yet underutilized, opportunity to reverse the pending obesity...
Do Vegetarians Get Enough Protein?
Nutritional quality indices show plant-based diets are the healthiest, but do vegetarians and vegans reach...
What Diet Should Physicians Recommend?
Kaiser Permanente, the largest U.S. managed care organization, publishes patient education materials to help make...
Eating More to Weigh Less
Energy density explains how a study can show participants lose an average of 17 pounds...
Plant-Based Diets for Improved Mood and Productivity
The most comprehensive controlled trial of diet and mood finds that a plant-based nutrition program...
How to Change Your Enterotype
What happens to our gut flora microbiome when we’re on plant-based versus animal-based diets?
The Okinawa Diet: Living to 100
What would happen if you centered your diet around vegetables, the most nutrient-dense food group?
Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health
The cardiovascular benefits of plant-based diets may be severely undermined by vitamin B12 deficiency.
Why Do Plant-Based Diets Help Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis may be triggered by autoimmune friendly fire against a urinary tract infection bacteria...
Do Flexitarians Live Longer?
Does just reducing one’s intake of meat, dairy, and eggs significantly reduce mortality?
Lifestyle Medicine: Treating the Causes of Disease
If doctors can eliminate some of our leading killers by treating the underlying causes of...
Caloric Restriction vs. Plant-Based Diets
What is the best strategy to lower the level of the cancer-promoting growth hormone IGF-1?
How to Treat High Blood Pressure with Diet
The first-line treatment for hypertension is lifestyle modification, which often includes the DASH diet. What...
Carnitine, Choline, Cancer, & Cholesterol: The TMAO Connection
Expanding on the subject of my upcoming appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, a landmark...
Plant-Based Diets & Diabetes
We’ve known for a half century that plant-based diets are associated with lower diabetes risk,...
Which Type of Protein Is Better for Our Kidneys?
Anti-inflammatory drugs abolish the hyperfiltration and protein leakage response to meat ingestion, suggesting that animal...
Plant-Based Treatment for Angina
Even without an exercise component, a plant-based diet can reduce angina attacks 90% within 24...
Lose Two Pounds in One Sitting: Taking the Mioscenic Route
Our physiology evolved for millions of years eating a plant-based diet. What would happen if...All Videos for Plant-Based Diets
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Foods to Help Protect Your Arteries from Saturated Fat
If you’re going to have something unhealthy, is there anything you can eat with it to help mediate the damage it may cause?
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Blocking the Cancer Metastasis Enzyme MMP-9 with Beans and Chickpeas
Which legumes are best at inhibiting the matrix metalloproteinase enzymes that allow cancer to become invasive?
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Pesticides (DDT) and Alzheimer’s Disease
How can we avoid the breakdown product of pesticides that may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease as much as if you carried APOE e4, the so-called Alzheimer’s gene?
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How to Boost FGF21 with Diet for Longevity
Fasting and exercise can boost the longevity hormone FGF21, but what can we eat—or avoid eating—to get similar effects?
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How to Keep Your Microbiome Healthy with Prebiotic Foods
We co-evolved a symbiosis with our good gut bacteria, but we are not holding up our end of the bargain.
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Do Potatoes Increase the Risk of High Blood Pressure and Death?
Do potato eaters live longer or shorter lives than non-potato eaters?
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Prunes: A Natural Remedy for Constipation
Prunes, figs, and exercise are put to the test as natural home remedies for constipation.
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Which Foods Are Anti-Inflammatory?
Foods that reduce inflammation. What does an anti-inflammatory diet look like?
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Fighting the Ten Hallmarks of Cancer with Food
The foundation of cancer prevention is plants, not pills.
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Pesticides and Cancer Risk
Does choosing organic over conventional foods protect against cancer? The effects of pesticides on cancer risk.