How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger, MD.

 

There's strong evidence for the effect of eating over genetics as affecting lifespan period. Examples include twins that are separated at birth, eating different diets but having the same genetics, and having very different lifespans. Also, an example is honey bees which live three weeks as a worker bee or up to three years as a queen, and the queens are basically fed royal jelly to allow expression of those ?royal genes?. Continued fish oil was originally found to have a 29% reduction in mortality in the 1980s DART trial, but when DART 2 was completed with a larger group of 3,000 men eating oily fish and especially those with fish oil capsules had a higher risk of cardiac death. Atherosclerosis is found in nearly all American children by the age of 10 and even fetuses of miscarriages of mothers with high LDL have been found to have signs of atherosclerosis starting.

To reduce LDL you need to drastically reduce trans-fat from processed food and meat and dairy. Saturated fat which is generally in meat and dairy and to a lesser degree cholesterol is found in animal dry foods such as eggs.

Coronary artery disease is not seen in countries such as Uganda with a plant-based diet and very minimal animal protein intake. The China study that studied rural Chinese who had very unilateral diets also found that lack of meat intake reduced coronary artery disease by at least 100 times compared to the meat-eating Chinese counterparts. Dr. Roberts, editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Cardiology for more than 30 years and director of the Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute with the author of more than a thousand scientific publications and more than a dozen textbooks argues that there's only one true risk factor for coronary artery disease, cholesterol. He states that even being obese, diabetic, smoking, and a couch potato you'll still not develop atherosclerosis as long as the cholesterol in your blood is low enough probably an LDL under 70, and the lower the better. At a level of 70 which corresponds to a total of a hundred and fifty the Framingham Heart study of generations of people found that no deaths from coronary artery disease were reported in that group. The benefits generally outweigh the harm for lipid-lowering agents like statins for people who are unwilling to change diet but biopsies can show muscle damage even in people with negative lab tests and can damage the liver as well.

A 2013 study of several thousand breast cancer women reported long-term use of statins can double a woman's risk of invasive breast cancer. After about 15 years of non-smoking, smokers approach a non-smokers risk. Besides the long-term effects of an unhealthy diet, ear arteries are actually dynamic and can be affected in a relatively acute manner such as the man that was shown to get substantially worse coronary artery disease over a short period of time on Atkins or a single fast-food study in which a sausage egg McMuffin showed a stiffening of arteries within hours cutting their ability to relax normally. And the inflammatory response continued approximately five or six hours later when people generally are eating another meal. It is thought to be more than animal protein or fat it is endotoxins from bacteria that are harbored whether dead or alive even in cooked meat that tend to stimulate the inflammation process.

 

New medications such as the anti-angina medication Renexa do extend exercise duration by 33.5 seconds and are recommended by the drug company executive for those not able to comply with a vegan diet. However, the American Heart Journal 1977 article showed a case study of a 65-year-old man with severe angina that he could not take nine or ten steps but upon changing to a vegan diet he was able to climb mountains with no pain at all within months. Four Brazil nuts per month are shown to lower LDL cholesterol even for the entire month. Within nine hours of eating those nuts, LDL went down 20 points. The 1977 Angina and Vegan Diet story promoted dietary goals for the United States by the US Senate Committee on Nutrition however the special interest in meat milk and egg producers put industry pressure and removed all mentions of decreasing meat consumption from the report and pressured the Senate Nutrition Committee to disband.

 

The ADA is highly influenced by special interest to the degree that food industry sources guise under research institutes will pay $20,000 per fact sheet to take part in the drafting process to advise on guidelines for maintaining a healthy diet so your fact sheet on eggs will be co-drafted by the American Egg Board.

 

How not to die from lung disease: stopping smoking is well known but to test the power of dietary interventions on preventing DNA damage chronic smokers were asked to consume 25 times more broccoli than the average American in other words a single stock a day. The broccoli smokers suffered 41% fewer DNA mutations over 10 days. Three shots of kale juice were shown to be the equivalent of running 300 miles over the course of a month three shots per day. Tumor concurs cumin may have an effect on apoptosis or programmed cell death. Minimize stroke risk with 25 grams of soluble fiber such as beans and oats nuts and berries

47 grams of insoluble fiber such as brown rice and whole wheat. Vascular flow to fingertips is improved with citrus drinks. Too much cholesterol also is unanimously recognized as a risk factor for Alzheimer's. Columbia Harvard University's study of cured meat such as bacon baloney hot dogs found an increased risk of COPD and speculated it is the nitrite preservatives in processed meat that acts similarly to nitrite byproducts of cigarette smoke. Australia did a study to remove fruits and vegetables from asthmatics and found that one serving of fruit and two vegetables per day maximum worsened the asthmatic study population within two weeks. Bananas as a high source of potassium is a misnomer period it is rated at number 1600 after Reese's Pieces as far as levels of potassium in the Department of Agriculture database. Better potassium sources are greens, beans, and sweet potatoes.

 

How not to die from infections: The primary source of Salmonella in the U.S. is fecal contamination of chicken. It is not actually the eating of raw chicken that causes transmission. It is the touching of objects while preparing food. The presence of saturated fats such as palmitate in meat and dairy creates build-up in membranes and muscle cells which correlates with insulin resistance when muscle biopsies are done. Saturated fats cause mitochondrial dysfunction and free radical inflammation. Monounsaturated fats found in nuts, olives, and avocados are better detoxified by the liver. Dr. Greger reiterates that the science indicates that calorie reduction does not work for weight control beyond an initial weight loss period. A study of 500 calories per day calorie reduction versus increasing consumption of legumes to one cup per day of lentils, chickpeas, split peas, and navy beans showed improvement in the group that ate more in terms of cholesterol and insulin regulation.

Beyond saturated fats making muscle cells more insulin resistant, there is a theory that saturated fats are also toxic to pancreatic cells directly. In vitro study shows beta cell death in the presence of saturated fat and LDL but not monounsaturated fat. The epic study of hundreds of thousands of men and women showed that equal calories meat eaters would on average still gain significantly more weight. Intensive blood sugar lowering to get patients to ideal blood sugar with insulin increased mortality in type 2 diabetics per the New England Journal of Medicine.

Comparing diabetics with gastric bypass post-op diet for two weeks versus those who had the surgery and had post-op diet showed diet alone was better than the surgical patients. The epic study identified poultry as the most fattening meat contrary to popular belief. The beef industry points out that more than a dozen cuts of steak have lower fat than skinless chicken which is genetically manipulated. The Global Burden of Disease study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation showed that processed meats are actually responsible for more deaths worldwide than soda. For high blood pressure, the recommendation is 1500 mg of salt daily. The average American is over double that. Salt's effect on vascular flow appears to be mitigated through superoxide dismutase and is counteracted by vitamin C. Recommended dietitian for sodium intake is 1 mg of sodium per calorie. Keep milligrams of sodium under a number of calories. Harvard researchers found consumption of brown rice was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. White rice increased risk. Dr. Sachs at Harvard, who created the famous DASH diet, showed that meat and dairy both increased blood pressure, but purposefully did not include that as the DASH diet in order to make the diet more palatable to ?non-vegetarians?. Sedentary vegans' blood pressure was significantly better as compared to meat-eating runners of 48 miles per week.

Flaxseed is the most potent blood pressure-lowering food additive. The study on flaxseed was published in the journal Hypertension, and the term ?miraculous? was used.

Prospective double-blind placebo-controlled random trial. Researchers gave someone a sugar pill compared to a quarter cup of ground flaxseed into their lunch. Five teabags of hibiscus tea every morning was equal to a captive pill twice a day.

Natural nitrates found in beets and greens are converted into nitric oxide, which improves vascular vasodilation, much like Viagra or nitroglycerin. Beet juice has a specific ability to improve athletic performance for divers and cyclists, both consuming less oxygen for the same amount of physical activity.

 

Liver disease: Coffee and oatmeal have been found to be protective against liver disease.

There is a green algae that helps with inflammation from hep C. Cranberries, grapes, plums, red cabbage, and red onions have been shown to counteract fatty liver. Coffee has also been shown in Norwegian research to decrease liver inflammation. The top three antioxidants per dollar in order are purple cabbage, cinnamon, then cloves.

Butcher and slaughterhouse workers have increased risks of multiple cancers, and the presumed correlation is viruses in uncooked meat. Dark greens have been associated with improving non-Hodgkin's lymphoma outcomes. The tumor has been shown to improve multiple myeloma outcomes. Lipid nephrotoxicity is most responsible for chronic kidney disease. Instead, drugs may be helpful. Dr. Greger had an ex-NFL player with kidney disease that reversed it by getting rid of all of his non-farm food over a year.

Acid-inducing diets may affect kidneys through tubular toxicity, as the kidneys produce ammonia to counteract the acid, and chronic ammonia production may be the damaging factor for the renal tubules.

Baking soda capsules did improve the acid-base balance in the kidney, but they found that changing to fruit and vegetable primary diets offered similar protection.

Purple cabbage juice turns blue in your urine if it's neutral or basic. But turns purple to pink if your urine is too acidic. Phosphate additives in meats at the store are not required to be labeled, or they're labeled simply as flavorings or broth and chicken tends to be the worst offender of phosphate additives, which are damaging to kidneys. The generally recognized as safe status is self-proclaimed by manufacturers and when they did an evaluation of how the manufacturer deemed their additives to be safe, between 1997 and 2012, 22% was someone employed by the manufacturer, 13% was someone employed by a firm hand-picked by the manufacturer, and 64% were made by a panel hand-picked by the manufacturer. In other words, zero food additive safety decisions are made independently.

Nitrites and nitrates are not harmful in and of themselves until they become nitrosamines and nitrosamides. The reason meat is more likely to cause these carcinogenic compounds is that amines and amides are in abundance in animal products. Antioxidants such as vitamin C within the plant will naturally block the formation of those carcinogens.

Nitrates and nitrites are especially in processed meats and are associated with kidney cancer. Whereas high-nitrate vegetables such as kale and collard greens actually reduce the risk of kidney cancer.

Overall, a meat-sweet diet damages kidneys, causing them to hyper-filtrate or work on overdrive. Period. It's similar to running an engine at the red line all the time.

Carnegie Mellon's study controlled the amount of cold virus in subjects' noses. Those that were happy and relaxed were one in five would get sick. Those that were anxious and depressed, one in three. Eating cheese, cured meat, and fermented foods while on MAO can result in fatal brain hemorrhage. Apples, berries, grapes, onions, and green tea are all-natural MAO inhibitors. Oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are spices that are also natural MAO inhibitors.

Carb-rich protein-poor meals improve depression through the tryptophan mechanism. Sesame, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds are an alternative for a high tryptophan-to-protein ratio.

The positive effects of coffee are negated by adding sugar. An artificial sweetener, aspartame or saccharin, was associated with an increased risk of depression. Case Western study was halted early due to a severe increase in depression for patients already being treated with depression when artificial sweeteners were added to their diet.

That study extended to non-depressed groups in which half were given a higher dose of aspartame and the other half a lower dose. And then the groups were switched during the time of high dose participants exhibited more depression and irritability and performed worse on certain brain function tests.

Duke University's four-month study on Zoloft versus exercise showed three times a week exercise class equivalent to Zoloft. Both groups improved depression by the end of four months to an equal degree.

Lycopene, the red pigment in tomatoes, was shown to be associated with half the risk of depression for those who had tomatoes daily versus those who ate once a week or less. Both placebo and SSRI benefit depression.

The most severely depressed, approximately 10% of patients, are likely to experience clinical improvement beyond a placebo. Three tablespoons of flaxseed per day were shown to prevent the progression of early-stage prostate cancer as well as lower cancer rate proliferation for those that are getting their prostate removed a month later. Three tablespoons a day also improved urinary flow similar to Flomax or ProScar.

 

Longevity, over age 85 or 90 cancer risk drops, and it is related to IGF-1.

IGF-1 stimulates the turnover of the body cells and is stimulating more as a child and then levels off. The body is born again approximately once per year. There is a rare form of dwarfism called Laron syndrome that is produced by the inability to make IGF-1. Interestingly, those who make no IGF-1 don't get cancer.

Animal source protein stimulates IGF-1 thus reducing animal protein will reduce IGF-1 within two weeks. Egg whites and milk also stimulate IGF-1. Nicotine was found to be protective against Parkinson's in multiple studies. Thus, other nightshade plants such as bell peppers were speculated as having the same effect.

Peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes have very small amounts of nicotine but are not conclusively reducing Parkinson's. PCBs are found in higher concentrations of Parkinson's brains. This is a pesticide that commonly can be found in dairy milk. The risk increase was 17% increased risk of Parkinson's for every cup of milk consumed per day. Those who do not have bowel movements daily are at higher risk for Parkinson's and theorize that this is due to increased absorption of pesticides.

Harvard study of 130,000 showed that blueberries and strawberries consumption reduces the risk of Parkinson's.

Coffee and tea lower the risk of Parkinson's by one-third. A teaspoon of cumin is comparable to a baby aspirin in terms of colorectal cancer risk decrease.

Peppermint naturally decreases the gastrocolic reflex, the urge to defecate following a meal. Tomato juice is healthier than tomatoes as far as lycopene availability is concerned.

Berry berry was vitamin B deficiency when they changed brown rice into refined white rice. Cocoa butter, coconut, and palm kernel oils raise cholesterol as plant saturated fats. Coffee consumption of 6 cups a day was found to prolong life after age 50 but below age 50. Better to stay to 4 cups a day.

Cold steeping is putting tea in cold water in the fridge for at least 2 hours. It may actually be healthier than brewing. Matcha is ground tea leaves so fine that you can just drink it.

Kombucha is not well studied and there is at least one case report of a person that went into a coma after drinking Kombucha. Recommended sweeteners are blackstrap molasses and date sugar.

Erythritol is another option that comes from pears and grapes. But in industry yeast is used to produce it. Pet scans show that the more someone weighs the less sensitive to dopamine he or she appears to be.

Similar to cocaine and alcoholics. The main issue with sugar or even cocaine is the concentration or isolation of natural substances. A study of ice cream eaters showed deadened dopamine response. Thereby initiating a drug-like pattern where more is eaten to try to obtain the same high. Naltrexone be used as an opioid blocker for banjitars

 

Double Blind Study: Aricept versus Saffron added to food indicated equal results after 22 weeks. Double Blind Study with lower side effects of GI.

 

Glycation in products also known as AGEs is associated with early Alzheimer's disease in autopsy studies and is related to loss of sirtuin activity.

Major sources of AGEs include cigarette smoke, meat, and meat drive products especially those using dry heat cooking methods. Milk is low in AGE while meat and cheese are higher.

Processed foods are generally high in AGE. Processed chicken is one of the most AGE-contaminated products of all with hot dogs being on the list as well. Digestive cancer death 1 in 20 chance of developing colorectal cancer over a lifetime. Curcumin, the yellow pigment in turmeric is considered a possible reason why colorectal cancer is so much less common in India as compared to the US, about 10 times less common. Abnormal crips of the colon that are seen as much more common in smokers did decrease with curcumin consumption by about 40% within the first month. In advanced terminal colon cancer, one-third has shown benefit on turmeric extract.

Chickpeas and lentils, common in Indian food also contain phytates, which are also cancer-fighting compounds. Daily stool loss under a quarter pound has three times the rate of colon cancer of those over a half pound. Thus, bigger more frequent bowel movements are healthier.

 

You can measure indirectly your oral to anal transit time by eating beets. If less than a day and a half before your stool turns pink, then you're at a healthy bowel transit time. If two days or longer, then unhealthy. Excess iron in the body can create free radicals called hydroxyl radicals. Phytates in these beans and split peas will detoxify hydroxyl radicals. This is the reason why a low vegetable, high meat diet may have a cumulative effect on increasing colorectal cancer. Although phytates do decrease mineral absorption, and at one point in the 50s was suggested to cause softening of bones, we now know that it actually increases bone mineral density and lower hip fractures are seen much like a drug like Fosamax. Nurses' study was 120,000 working-age women and health professionals' follow-up study about 50,000 working-age men showed that both processed and unprocessed red meat increased the risk of cancer and heart disease with shorter lifespans overall. Excess iron in the body does create free radicals and is regulated through decreased absorption with increased iron. However, the excess non-heme iron found in plant foods is regulated much better than the heme iron that is found in animal food. Thus, high levels of heme iron explain the cancer-increasing mechanism of red meat.

Follow-up studies of donating blood show that donating blood will cut the risk of cancer in half over a five-year period. If low iron, avoid tea with your green leafy vegetable meal and instead take in vitamin C which improves iron absorption.