Plant-Based Diets | Health Topics

All Videos for Plant-Based Diets

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Are Supplements and Vitamins B12 and D Really Necessary on a Plant-Based Diet?

I answer common questions about supplements, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. Do we need them?

Diet and Lifestyle for Cancer Prevention and Survival

What kind of diet should cancer patients eat?

Vitamin D May Explain Higher Bone Fracture Risk in Vegans

A combination of low calcium intake and low vitamin D exposure may explain higher bone fracture rates in British vegans.

Do Vegans Have Lower Bone Density and More Fractures?

What are the bone fracture rates of omnivores vs. vegetarians vs. vegans?

Antibiotic-Resistant E. coli and UTIs in Vegetarians vs. Meat-Eaters

Tainted chicken may result in more than a million urinary tract infections in American women every year.

Digital drawing of neurological functions

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) and Cognitive Decline

AGEs may be one explanation for why those who consume meat may have up to three times the risk of developing dementia compared with vegetarians.

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Lower Protein Diet Proven to Help Kidney Disease

How might we cut the risk of dialysis and death in half?

Why All Athletes Should Eat Plant-Based Diets

Enhance athletic performance with diet.

The Potential Harm in Unnecessary Gluten-Free Diets

How might we prevent the inflammation from gluten-free diets?

Selection of fruits, vegetables, and nuts

Dietary Approach to Naturally Treating Menopause Symptoms

Specific foods have been shown in randomized controlled trials to improve symptoms like hot flashes.

Low-Protein Diets for Parkinson’s Disease

How might we maximize the therapeutic efficiency of levodopa?

Woman with shopping cart with vegetables

How a Plant-Based Diet Can Help Reduce Racial Health Disparities

Why are Black Americans sicker and die younger than their white counterparts, and what can we do about it?

Do Vegans Have Lower Bone Mineral Density and Higher Risk of Osteoporosis?

Those eating plant-based tend to be so much slimmer that their bone mass may suffer.

Antibiotic Resistance Genes in the Guts of Vegetarians vs. Meat-Eaters

Those eating plant-based have a reduced load of antibiotic resistance genes in their gut.

Assortment of vegetables, dried beans, and berries

The Best Diet for Healthy Aging

Swapping just 1 percent of plant protein in place of animal protein was associated with signiﬁcantly less age-related deﬁcit accumulation.

The Best Diet for Treating Atrial Fibrillation

What foods should we eat and avoid to reduce our risk of Afib?

hot coffee and beans over a slate surface

Coffee Put to the Test for Treating Parkinson’s Disease

Coffee can improve Parkinson’s symptoms within three weeks compared to placebo, but do the benefits last?

doctor measuring blood pressure and pulse with clip board

Why Don’t Health Insurers Encourage Healthier Eating?

Why don’t more big payors in health care embrace plant-based eating?

woman buying packaged meat in supermarket

How Much Does Meat Affect Longevity?

If you care about your health so much that it would be unthinkable to light up a cigarette before and after lunch, maybe you should order a bean burrito instead of a meaty one.

Are the Health Benefits of Nuts Limited to Those Eating Bad Diets?

Do nut eaters live longer simply because they swap in protein from plants in place of animal protein?

Potassium Chloride Salt Substitute Side Effects

Healthy kidneys are required for potassium excretion. If you aren’t sure if you’re at risk, ask your doctor about getting your kidney function tested.

close up of salt shaker with salt pouring out

Are Potassium Chloride Salt Substitutes Effective?

Is potassium chloride win-win by decreasing sodium intake and increasing potassium intake?

top view of berry smoothies on a dark countertop

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?

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?

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?

wooden bowls containing legumes and grains

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?

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.

uncooked white potatoes named whole and sliced over dark texture background

Do Potatoes Increase the Risk of High Blood Pressure and Death?

Do potato eaters live longer or shorter lives than non-potato eaters?

Prunes: A Natural Remedy for Constipation

Prunes, figs, and exercise are put to the test as natural home remedies for constipation.

spice and herb collection in bowls and spoons on a black wooden background

Which Foods Are Anti-Inflammatory?

Foods that reduce inflammation. What does an anti-inflammatory diet look like?

Plant foods high in fiber with whole wheat pasta, nuts, fruit and vegetables on a rustic background

Fighting the Ten Hallmarks of Cancer with Food

The foundation of cancer prevention is plants, not pills.

farmer with machine spraying chemical or fertilizer on green rice field

Pesticides and Cancer Risk

Does choosing organic over conventional foods protect against cancer? The effects of pesticides on cancer risk.

High fiber super foods with whole grain crackers, fruit, vegetables, whole wheat pasta, grains, and nuts

How to Heal a Leaky Gut with Diet

The recommended diet for leaky gut treatment. Which foods and food components can boost the integrity of our intestinal barrier?

Fresh plant based diet ingredients on light countertop

Plant-Based Eating Score Put to the Test

How can you get a perfect diet score?

3d illustration of particles flowing through an artery

Can Cholesterol Get Too Low?

Why might healthy lifestyle choices wipe out 90 percent of our risk for having a heart attack, whereas drugs may only reduce risk by 20 to 30 percent?

bowl with buckwheat and salad of chickpea, fresh pepper and lettuce leaves

Can Vegan Fecal Transplants Lower TMAO Levels?

If the microbiome of those eating plant-based diets protects against the toxic effects of TMAO, what about swapping gut flora?

Ochratoxin in Breakfast Cereals

One of the few food contaminants found at higher levels in those eating plant-based diets are mycotoxins, fungal toxins in moldy food ingredients, such as oats.

hands opening plant based baked dish with brussels sprouts, parsley, corn.

Hospitals with 100 Percent Plant-Based Menus

The American Medical Association has passed a resolution encouraging healthy plant-based food options be available in hospitals.

Healthy fruits and vegetables in heart shaped bowl

Lifestyle and Disease Prevention: Your DNA Is Not Your Destiny

Treating the underlying cause of chronic lifestyle diseases.

3D illustration of cells that contain lipid droplets

How Low Should You Go for Ideal Cholesterol Levels?

Having a so-called normal cholesterol in a society where it’s normal to drop dead of a heart attack isn’t necessarily a good thing.