Miranda Donker

April 20, 2015

Period 2B
Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet
In recent years, a surge in preventable diseases and an increase of people at risk for these
conditions has been observed. Heart disease has become the leading cause of death in the United
States and is also one of the simplest to prevent in a lot of cases (CDC). Other preventable
conditions could be Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, and premature mortality. An effective
way to prevent these conditions is by pursuing a plant-based diet.
A plant-based diet is defined as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and
discourages meats, dairy products, and eggs as well as all refined and processed foods (Lee et
al). It is crucial that patients are being exposed to this when choosing treatment and medication
options for their conditions because this lifestyle change is a more natural way of treatment with
none of the side effects from pharmaceuticals. Patients should be able to know all of their
choices and the outcomes and side effects associated with each. This change in diet is essentially
a lifestyle change for most, but without harmful side effects. Therefore, some might find this to
be a more applicable option. I have been very interested in this specific form of alternative
treatment since I researched what would be gained by cutting meat and other animal products out
of my diet. I was surprised to stumble upon research about the regression and prevention of
certain diseases and conditions. Some doctors today are assisting their patients in pursuing this
treatment and are getting some fascinating results. For example, my mother has Type 1 Diabetes
and while this change in diet does not stabilize her pancreas or blood sugar numbers, adopting a
predominantly plant-based regimen causes her to consistently express feeling better than when

eating more meat and dairy. Although many people are unaware of the health benefits of a plant
based diet, researchers continue to find evidence that it could be used to treat and prevent certain
health conditions primarily heart conditions, Type 2 Diabetes, and obesity.
Heart disease, though it is the leading cause of death in America, is also one of the most
preventable conditions (CDC). One common heart condition, primarily in the older demographic,
is angina, or chest pains. In one study done, a 60-year old man almost completely rid himself of
his angina by switching to a plant-based diet (Massera et al). The patient decided to not take any
prescriptions and simply make the lifestyle change then ended up reversing the angina. This
study might not be completely reliable in proving that a plant-based diet could be beneficial to
everyone as it was only tested on one individual. Other factors that could contribute to this study
being less reliable would be his family history (which consisted of a history of heart conditions)
and his declination of invasive testing. If this study had been done on a larger scale, the results
could have led to something greater and more concrete. However, this report is significant in the
fact that it did completely reverse this mans condition without any medication or conventional
treatment. This study could encourage others to emulate similar lifestyle changes in replacement
of medication. In a review study, information was coalesced in order to confirm that plant-based
diets could prevent or reverse other cardiac conditions such as coronary artery disease and
atherogenesis (Tuso et al). Within their research, doctors claimed that the primary aim of the
plant-based diet is to maximize the consumption of nutrient-dense plant foods while minimizing
processed foods, added sugars, oils, and animal-based foods (Tuso et al 62). Though this was
not an original research article, what can be derived from this is that people are able to become
more informed about the alternative treatments to prevent cardiac conditions if the information
was made available on a larger scale. The scientists looked at the effects on a cellular level and

decided that people who consume less red meat and consume more vegetables have lower body
mass index, lower systolic blood pressure, [] less oxidative stress and less microinflammation (Tuso et al 65). This study provides countless valid reasons to pursue a plantbased diet. Both articles cited no conflict of interest, therefore they were not paid to publish the
research by some sort of industry or business. This means that their research is more likely to be
accurate than skewed by outside interests. Along with the prevention of cardiac conditions,
patients switching to a plant-based diet are better able to control Type 2 Diabetes.
In modern America, more and more people are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes every
year. Recently, diagnoses in children have been on the rise at an astonishing rate. As many
people know, these children are being exposed to extremely high amounts of fat, sugar, and salt
which vastly contributes to this condition. However, by cutting meat out of the diet of diabetics,
there could be a solution awaiting. In one study done at the Institute of Clinical and Experimental
Medicine, two groups of diabetics were gathered and one half switched to a strict vegetarian diet
while the other stuck to a low calorie, average diabetic diet. Concluding the 24 week period, for
those who finished on the vegetarian diet, their diabetes medication was reduced in cases of
repeated hypoglycaemia in 43% of participants in the experimental group (Kahleova et al. 555).
Being able to reduce the amount of medication that one takes could be extremely beneficial for
some of the diabetics. Some medications that people take have unwanted side effects that put a
hindrance on their quality of life. This study could be less than helpful for diabetics due to their
lack of any concrete results. Some of their test subjects failed to participate for the full 24 weeks
and no significant differences between the two test groups were reported by the researchers. This
might have been because although the control group was on a normal, low calorie, diabetic diet,
this still was likely different from the diet that they might have pursued prior to beginning the

study. Therefore, the results reporting of improvement in both groups could be due to the fact
that both groups of diabetics had improved diets differing from what that they had eaten before
the experiment began. In one review article it was stated that a plant-based diet with no or little
meat may help prevent and treat diabetes, possibly by improving insulin sensitivity and
decreasing insulin resistance (Tuso et al. 63). This would support the idea of utilizing this diet
as treatment for diabetes. However, the research done by Kahleova et al might be less valid
because of the lack of a true control group. Aside from the possible benefits for diabetics and
those vulnerable to cardiac conditions, there may also be benefits simply from further educating
the public.
Today, another epidemic is sweeping the nation and this time it is obesity. There are
numerous arguments as to the reason for its existence. Some place blame on the fast food
industry, while others make poverty levels out to be the scapegoat. Whatever the reason for this
drastic change in the weight of the average American, a plant-based diet could reverse this trend.
However, countless Americans are unaware of these possibilities that exist because doctors
usually do not provide this option outright to their patients. Doctors generally feel more
comfortable prescribing medications and conventional treatments. A pilot study done by Vincent
Lee, Taylor McKay, and Chris I. Arden, shows that a vast majority of people, diabetics and
prediabetics in this instance, are unaware of the benefits of a plant-based diet to improve
diabetes, weight, heart disease, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol (Lee et al). Extreme
lack of knowledge on the patients part is one of the reasons that many do not request this diet as
their primary treatment. One other reason that some people in this survey were not planning on
adopting a plant-based diet is that many [] cited low confidence in adopting this eating
pattern (Lee et al). If people do not feel that they can easily access and maintain a new regimen,

then it becomes more difficult for them to be comfortable with not taking medication or pursuing
conventional treatment. With this pilot study, 98 people were surveyed, all of them being either
Type 1 or 2 diabetic or prediabetic. One way that this could have been improved would have
been with having a larger or more diverse group of people. The one aspect that this study does
accurately illustrate is that patients possess a lack of understanding of the possibilities when
switching to a plant-based diet. Along with the health benefits achieved by switching to a plantbased diet, there are also positive aspects gained from education.
Prescription drug use is on the rise in the United States; 66 percent of all adults use
prescription drugs (Georgetown). Not all of these medications possess severe side effects, if any
at all. However, still countless pharmaceuticals have harmful side effects for the patients using
them. Many conditions in America today are very preventable with the simplest of lifestyle
changes: diet. Switching to a plant-based diet could be very valuable as an alternative for
conventional medical treatment for certain conditions. Heart disease, as preventable as it is,
remains the leading cause of death in the US (CDC). Making the change of cutting meat and
many processed food out of ones diet could reduce the chance of premature fatality due to this
common condition. Type 2 Diabetes is also very preventable in most cases with a simple change
in diet. Ideally, this would be a change to a plant-based diet. Some also argued that this change
could make patients more sensitive to insulin and lessen peoples resistance to insulin (Tuso et al.
63). This would all be easily accomplished if general public awareness of the effects of this
change in diet spread. Once doctors are more apt to recommend this diet to their patients, then
patients make the final decision. If some patients are not willing to give up meat, then that is up
to them, however, for others who are unaware of the health benefits but willing to try, now they
can. Personally, this did not raise many questions but confirmed what I had already anticipated,

just with added information. The one thing that seems to be missing from the research is the most
effective way to go about switching to a plant based diet and also where to go for advice on what
to eat. As for my future career, although I found this extremely interesting, I do not think that I
will be pursuing this as a career. However, I do plan on pursuing this type of diet, or at least a
variation of it.

Works Cited
CDC. Leading Causes of Death. 6 February 2015. 8 April 2015.
Daniele Massera, Tarique Zaman, Grace E. Farren, and Robert J Ostfeld. "A Whole-Food PLantBased Diet Reversed Angina without Medications or Procedures." Case Reports in
Cardiology (2015). Medical Journal.
H. Kahleova, M. Matoulek, H. Malinska, O. Oliyarnik, L. Kazdova, T. Neskudla, A. Skoch,.
"Vegetarian diet improves insulin resistance and oxidative stress markers more than
conventional diet in subjects with Type 2 Diabetes." DIABETICMedicine (2010): 549559. Medical Journal.
Institute, Georgetown Health Policy. Prescription Drugs. September 2002. Web Page. 12 April
2015.
Philip J Tuso, MD, et al. "Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based Diet." The Permanente
Journal (2013): 61-66. Medical Journal.
Phillip Tuso, MD, FACP, FASN, MD Scott R Stoll and MD William W Li. "A Plant-Based Diet,
Atherogenesis, and Coronary Artery Disease Prevention." The Permantente Journal
(2015): 62-67. Medical Journal.
Vincent Lee, Taylor McKay, Chris I. Ardern. "Awareness and Perception of Plant-Based Diets
for Treatment and Management of Type 2 Diabetes in a Community Education Clinic: A
Pilot Study." Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism (2015). Medical Journal.