A plant-based diet could be helpful if you want to lose weight, avoid diabetes, or reduce your risk of Alzheimers.
According to a recent commentary in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, all doctors should be aware of the advantages of a plant-based diet for six different health conditions, including COVID-19, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and weight loss.
The field of medicine, despite its prominent influence in society, has invested little to promote healthy lifestyle choices, says the commentary co-authored by Saray Stancic, MD, FACLM, director of medical education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The consequence of this is reflected in our ever-rising chronic disease statistics, most notably obesity and diabetes rates.
The authors claim that medical schools only provide a meager level of nutrition education throughout the course of four years and that this situation is not improved during postgraduate study. They point out that 90 percent of cardiologists who participated in a recent study of over 600 cardiologists said they had not obtained the necessary nutrition education during training.
The commentary accepts that not all doctors need to be nutrition specialists, but asserts that they should at the very least have a basic understanding of the advantages of a plant-based diet for these six conditions, for which they present detailed evidence, including the following:
It is time for all physicians across the globe to speak to the importance of diet and lifestyle in health, concludes the commentary, which recommends that physicians do this by counseling patients, assuring hospitals provide healthy menus, lecturing in the community, writing articles, using social media, and providing commentary to media.
Reference: Six Applications of Plant Based Diets for Health Promotion by Saray Stancic, MD, Josh Cullimore, MD and Neal Barnard, MD, 26 May 2022, American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.DOI: 10.1177/15598276221104023
Originally posted here:
6 Scientifically Proven Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet - SciTechDaily
