We have all heard stories about someone who tried something to improve their health and saw a magical turn-around. Usually, that something is a change in diet.
When we hear these stories, we tend to get excited about a potential cure or preventative measure to help eradicate whatever diseases may be afflicting us. These can range from reversing or curing some forms of cancer, reversing heart disease, diabetes and even a whole host of maladies that doctors say can’t be cured.
Sometimes, there is something to glean from these stories, and we can back them up with good science. But unless we can prove something, we should be skeptical.
Many times, we discover a piece of information that catches our attention and can lead us to look further – and we may discover a plethora of information that can successfully help control or cure disease.
One of my favorite examples is that of Dr. Saray Stancic, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She noticed an article in a medical journal about improvement in some people with MS symptoms who consumed blueberries. This led her to research further about diet and MS. She discovered literature showing that whole food, plant-based eating brings great improvement and even elimination of symptoms of the disease.
Stancic implemented those changes and it changed her life for the better. She has helped many others suffering from MS and other diseases since then, using lifestyle medicine. She had to search for them, but the studies and evidence were there.
Stancic’s story is something proven and verifiable. But what happens when we hear about a famous personality who makes a dietary change and is able to communicate through the media that they have defeated sickness and disease through those changes? Does that mean that if I do the same thing it will work for me? Does that mean that everyone should implement what that person did to better their health? The answer is a resounding NO! If you don’t have the proper scientific evidence, you don’t have enough to go on.
LAST YEAR, a relative of mine pointed out what by now has become a famous story. Mikhaila Peterson, the daughter of popular psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson, suffered from a young age from juvenile idiopathic arthritis and severe depression. Although I don’t know exactly each and every calorie Peterson consumed in her previous way of eating, we can presume it must have been along the lines of the Standard American Diet.
She changed her eating to what has become known as the carnivore diet. By doing so, she eliminated all ultra-processed foods and has reaped many benefits. But is this diet something healthy in the long term or did it just take care of some problems before causing others?
There are a few variations of the carnivore diet – but generally, it is exactly what it sounds like: a diet centered on animal products. An article published this past year from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies stated, “the Carnivore Diet downplays or dismisses decades of observational studies linking nutrition to health and disease outcomes, selectively ignores intervention studies that do not suit its agenda, and substitutes its own favorite form of evidence: individual success stories.”
In a study done by BS Lennerz and colleagues published in 2021, participants were recruited from social media communities commonly frequented by carnivore dieters, and anyone who had been on the diet for less than six months was excluded.
As stated by the Campbell Institute, “this means the survey captured only those who were the most dedicated to the diet (just over 2,000 subjects, less than .000025% of the [world’s] population); of course that group will report that the diet is tolerable – they are the ones who have already tolerated it. It remains unproven whether the diet is, or ever could be, tolerable to everyone else.”
Comparing diet studies
ONE OF the points most ignored in studies on diet is simply summed up in three words: compared to what. No matter what type of diet you are analyzing, what were the group of people you are basing the data on eating before? How unhealthy were they? This makes a big difference.
If someone is eating the typical diet of 63% processed foods, 25% animal proteins (including dairy), and only 6% fresh vegetables and fruits, and then you eliminate the processed foods, there will always be advantages. But are those advantages for the long haul, or are they short-term fixes with possible long-term negative ramifications?
Let’s look at the weight loss data from this carnivore study. Body Mass Index at the time of the survey was 23.7 – which was about a 3-point improvement over the baseline number. Seems good, but they also reported significant increases in serum LDL cholesterol levels.
In other words, they lost weight on average but also mortgaged away their cardiovascular health. The weight loss most likely came from halting the consumption of junk food and sugared beverages.
The T. Colin Campbell Center points out the following: Countless large-scale observational studies consistently show that plant-predominant diets are associated with a lower incidence and mortality of numerous chronic diseases, including several cancers.
REASONABLE SKEPTICS understand that observational studies alone are generally considered a weaker form of evidence – correlation does not prove causation – but these correlations (regarding plant-based nutrition) are reliably backed up by a combination of other forms of evidence.
Several intervention studies have shown that replacing animal-based foods with whole plant-based foods can improve health outcomes, particularly in heart disease patients. On a molecular level, “[Numerous] nutritionally mediated factors independently increase cardiovascular oxidative stress and inflammation and are all independently tied to CVD [cardiovascular disease] development.”
Laboratory experiments (animal studies) help to explain the association between animal protein and disease progression; these findings provide evidence of biological plausibility. For example, in rodent models, animal protein has been shown to increase the binding of a carcinogenic metabolite.
Numerous additional studies highlight the potential benefit of shifting away from animal-based foods to prevent or treat kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, and more.
We, of course, wish Mikhaila Peterson and others who suffer from any illness a better and healthier life. But individual cases don’t have the validity of long-term studies. It is incredibly important to look at the data, examine the studies and see what “works” – not just for the short-term but what is sustainable and brings us overall excellent health.
It’s not the carnivore diet or any other Keto-type diet; when we eat a healthy, balanced diet that is plant prominent, sleep well, and stay active, we can diminish our risk of any chronic disease and many autoimmune diseases by up to 80%. Do that and you will “add hours to your days, days to your years and years to your lives.”
The writer is a wellness coach and personal trainer with more than 25 years of professional experience. He is a member of the International Council of the True Health Initiative, the board of Kosher Plant Based, and is director of The Wellness Clinic. alan@alanfitness.com