Fighting Influenza and Pneumonia with a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet

The previous blog post focused on Outsmarting Alzheimer’s Disease with a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet. This week’s topic is about another one of the Top 10 Killers of Americans—influenza and pneumonia. According to the United States National Center for Health Statistics, Influenza and pneumonia are the eighth highest cause of death in the United States. Over 80,000 people in the US die from these illnesses each year. [1]

This artist’s illustration, from respectfulinsolence.com, depicts the influenza virus.

The American Lung Association describes influenza (flu) as “a highly contagious viral infection that is one of the most severe illnesses of the winter season.” It is usually spread easily from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes. [2]

On the other hand, pneumonia is a serious infection or inflammation of the lungs in which the “air sacs fill with pus and other liquid, blocking oxygen from reaching the bloodstream.” Lack of oxygen can result in improper function of the body’s cells and ultimately lead to death. [2]

Most cases of flu never lead to cases of pneumonia, but those that do are very severe and deadly. However, the chance of catching the flu, or its intensity if caught, can be decreased significantly by building a stronger immune system. Therefore, the remainder of this blog will focus on building a better, stronger immune system.

As people grow older their immune systems begin to decline. That is why elderly people are often at greater risk of catching the flu. They are to some extent, immunocompromised. Researchers in Belfast investigated into “the possibility that inadequate diet may be a contributing factor” to immunological aging. [3]

This picture from CNN shows various fruits and vegetables to superpower your immune system.

In the study, half of the volunteers, between ages 65 to 95, were placed in the control group. The participants in the control group consumed less than two servings of fruits and vegetables a day. The other half of the volunteers made up the experimental group. The participants in the experimental group were told to follow a diet in which they would consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. [3]

The subjects followed their respective diets for a month before being injected with a pneumonia bacteria vaccine. Well, the experimental group attempted to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day but fell short. At the very least, they were consuming more servings than the control group that consumed less than two servings of fruits and vegetables a day. [3]

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Figure 1. The red, lower line shows the immune response, in total IGg, of those eating less than 2 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The green, upper line shows the immune response, in total IGg, of those eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The immune response of those eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day is drastically higher than those eating less than 2 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

After receiving Pneumovax®️, the immune response in the control group increased from baseline as shown in Figure 1. Their immune systems should have gone crazy making antibodies to fight off the perceived invader. However, because of the low amount of fruit and vegetable intake in their diet, their immunes response paled in comparison with the immune response of the group eating more fruits and vegetables. This trend is shown in Figure 1. [4]

This is just one of many studies in a compilation of others which demonstrates that a whole food plant-based diet is the best diet for a healthy life. Take a look at Dr. Gregor’s video compilation on the topic of immune function for more studies and information. His videos clearly show that a plant-based whole food diet greatly improves immunity and help fight against other illnesses such as asthma, seasonal allergies, hay fever, and even cancer. [5] The number of videos and the plethora of evidence is truly impressive! Thanks to Dr. Gregor for making this amazing set of videos freely available. So once again, to live healthily and avoid both common uncommon infectious illnesses go WFPB!

Sources:

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm

[2] https://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/pneumonia/what-is-the-connection.html

[3] https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/increased-fruit-and-vegetable-consumption-improves-antibody-response-to-vaccination-in-older-people-the-adit-study/E71959980B719AEF9E7C60B57433FF45

[4] https://nutritionfacts.org/video/boosting-immunity-through-diet/

[5] https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/immune-function/

Outsmarting Alzheimer’s Disease with a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet

The previous blog post focused on Defeating Diabetes with a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet. This week’s topic is another one of the Top 10 Killers of Americans—Alzheimer’s Disease. According to the United States National Center for Health Statistics, Alzheimer’s Disease is the sixth highest cause of death in the United States. Over 110,000 people in the US die from Alzheimer's each year. [1]

This artist’s illustration, from NewScientist.com, compares a healthy brain on the left with the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient on the right.

The Mayo Clinic describes Alzheimer's disease as, “a progressive disorder that causes brain cells to waste away (degenerate) and die. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that disrupts a person's ability to function independently.” [2]

Additionally, people with Alzheimer’s may “repeat statements and questions over and over, forget conversations, appointments or events, and not remember them later, routinely misplace possessions, and even eventually forget the names of family members and everyday objects.” [2]

The Clinic also explains that “Research has shown that the same risk factors associated with heart disease may also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.” Some of these risk factors include obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. [2]

The good news is that Alzheimer’s may be prevented with a whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet. One of the first steps to prevent Alzheimer’s may be to eliminate risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. As mentioned in previous blogs, each of these is fairly easily prevented and controlled by a whole food plant-based diet.

A peer-reviewed article published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease looked into trends in diet and Alzheimer's disease during the nutrition transition in Japan. They found, as shown in Table 1, that from the years 1961 to 2008, calories per person went up by about 10%, but animal fat increased by almost 600%, which is ten times the increase in sugar. This supports the notion that animal fat is strongly correlated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. The researchers found that “For Japan, alcohol consumption, animal product...and lung cancer rates correlated highly with [Alzheimer’s Disease] prevalence data.”[3]

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Table 1. The table shows the percent changes of average consumption of selected factors during the years 1961 to 2008 in Japan. The final column shows that calories per person went up by 10%, but animal fat increased by 598%, which is about ten times the increase of 59% in sugar. This gives evidence to the fact that an increase in animal is correlated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. [3]

Researchers were then curious to find out if the same factors increased the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease in various other countries. This time they published their findings in The Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The results, displayed in Table 2, showed that “The most important dietary link to Alzheimer’s Disease appears to be meat consumption, with eggs and high-fat dairy also contributing.” [4]

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Table 2. This table shows the location of a study as well the risks and risk reduction. Overall, the most important dietary link to Alzheimer’s Disease is meat consumption, along with eggs and high-fat dairy. [4]

Image 1. The cerebral arteries of elderly individuals without Alzheimer’s are labeled A and the cerebral arteries of elderly individuals with Alzheimer’s are labeled B. The arteries labeled A are open and healthy, while the arteries labeled B are clogged and almost nearly shut with plaque packed with fat and cholesterol. [5]

Other researchers, who published their work in the journal BMC Geriatrics, postulated that the mechanisms for atherosclerosis, or the buildup of plaque in arteries, and Alzheimer’s had a similar cause. They looked at two sets of human cerebral arteries, the arteries deep inside your skull. First, they observed the arteries, on autopsy, of elderly individuals without Alzheimer’s and compared them with the arteries of Alzheimer’s patients, as shown in Image 1. The arteries from Alzheimer’s patients were clogged and almost nearly shut with plaque packed with fat and cholesterol. [5]

Once again, the evidence is overwhelming that “Chronic consumption of Western-style diets enriched in saturated fat and cholesterol compromise cerebrovascular integrity.” [6] Essentially, following a Standard American Diet has horrific negative impacts on our health. However, a whole food plant-based diet will greatly help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. [7]

As Dr. Gregor’s many videos on the topic of Alzheimer’s Disease clearly show, it is the elimination of animal foods and the inclusion of plant-based whole foods that prevent this disease. Let us urgently spread the message to the thousands of people around the world to help them prevent dementia, Alzheimer’s, and suffering in old age.

Sources:

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alzheimers.htm

[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350447

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24037034

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27454859

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24656052

[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26678521

[7] https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-prevent-alzheimers-with-diet/

[8] https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/alzheimers-disease/

Defeating Diabetes with a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet

The previous blog post was about Conquering Kidney Disease with the Power of Plants. This week we will focus on another one of the Top 10 Killers of Americans—Type 2 Diabetes. According to the United States National Center for Health Statistics, about 30 million adults in the US have diabetes. This number is equivalent to about 12% of all adults within the country. Each year about 80,000 people, in the US, die as a result of diabetes. [1]

Illustration, from diabetesdaily.com, showing a WFPB diet for preventing and curing diabetes

Diabetes is a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood sugar (glucose). Blood glucose levels rise and stay higher than the normal range in diabetes patients. This causes a variety of chronic complications eventually leading to an early death. [2] The Mayo Clinic states that some signs and symptoms of diabetes are “Increased thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, irritability, blurred vision, and frequent infections.” [3]

The Clinic also explains that diabetes can lead to possible complications such as “Cardiovascular disease, nerve damage (neuropathy), kidney damage (nephropathy), eye damage (retinopathy), foot damage, skin conditions, hearing impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and depression.” [3]

There is no need to worry though, as Type 2 Diabetes may be both prevented and treated with a whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet. The Mayo Clinic claims, “Healthy lifestyle choices remain essential.” [3] A great way to help prevent diabetes is to try and eliminate the risk factors and causes of diabetes, many of which come from animal foods.

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Table 1. The column on the left is the patient number, the middle column is the insulin units per day on a Standard American Diet, and the right column is the insulin units per day after following a WFPB diet for a few weeks. As shown by the data, the need for insulin decreases, or in many cases goes to zero just by following a FPB diet. [4]

A peer-reviewed journal article published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted an experiment with diabetic men to find if a plant-based diet would help. However, the diets were designed to be weight-maintaining so weight-loss could not be attributed as a factor. The researchers found that overall insulin requirements were cut by about 60% as shown in Table 1. Remarkably, half of the diabetics were also able to stop taking insulin altogether. It should also be noted that these changes occurred after just 16 days on a whole food plant-based diet! [4]

These patients had diabetes for as long as 20 years and were injected 20 units of insulin per day. After following a plant-based diet for just a couple of weeks, they were off all insulin. Some patients were even able to get off their insulin in just 13 days, which is less than even two weeks. For example, patient #15 was injecting 32 units of insulin on a Standard American Diet. Then, just 18 days later, the patient was taking no insulin. The patient had lower blood sugars on 32 units less insulin than before, just by eating a whole food plant-based diet. [4]

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Figure 1. This graph shows the effects of high, moderate, and low animal-protein diets on time till Death from Diabetes. The top long-dashed line shows the data for the low protein diet group. The middle short-dashed line shows the data for the moderate protein diet group. The bottom solid line shows the data for the high protein diet group. Clearly, the low-protein diet group lives longer than the high-protein diet group.

Another study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, looked at the effects of eating plant-based proteins compared with animal-based proteins. The study found that among subjects with no diabetes at baseline, those eating lots of animal-based proteins had a 73-fold increase in diabetes risk. Those in the moderate animal-protein category had an almost 23-fold increase in the risk of diabetes mortality compared to those eating only plant-proteins. This data is shown in Figure 1. [5]

Once again, we can come to the conclusion that a whole food plant-based diet will help greatly prevent Type 2 Diabetes and even reverse it in numerous cases. The more your total calories come from plants, the less the risk for Type 2 Diabetes as well as overall mortality.

As Dr. Gregor’s many videos on the topic of Type 2 Diabetes clearly show, it is the elimination of animal foods and the inclusion of plant-based whole foods that prevent and cure Type 2 Diabetes. [6] It is a very hopeful scientific discovery for the millions of Type 2 diabetics around the world. It is also a very low expense prevention and cure that is accessible wherever plant food is, meaning everywhere! Let us get the word out faster, sooner, and to a wider group of those suffering!

Sources:

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/diabetes.htm

[2] https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-not-to-die-from-diabetes/

[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20371444

[4] https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/32/11/2312/4692116?redirectedFrom=fulltext

[5] https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(14)00062-X?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS155041311400062X%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

[6] https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/diabetes/