MichaelGregerMD

I think that's what the balance of peer-reviewed scientific evidence shows. One can look at population studies, like seeing what the healthiest and most long-lived populations eat (the so-called "Blue Zones"). For example, my video The Okinawa Diet: Living to 100. Or go all the way to randomized controlled trials, like Dr. Dean Ornish's Lifestyle Heart Trial, that showed that a plant-based diet and other healthy lifestyle changes can reverse heart disease, our leading cause of death. In fact it's the only diet that has ever been proven to reverse heart disease in the majority of patients. So seems like maybe that should be the default diet until proven otherwise--after all, a cure for our #1 killer? And the fact that it has also been shown to reverse other chronic diseases like hypertension and type 2 diabetes would seem to make the case overwhelming.

The most important thing vegans can do is to make sure to ensure a regular reliable source of vitamin B12. See, for example, my video Vitamin B12 Necessary for Arterial Health.

Probably the easiest way is to take one 2,500 mcg (µg) cyanocobalamin supplement once each week. Can cost less than $5 a year, but is absolutely critical (unless eating enough B12-fortified foods). Our fellow great apes get the B12 they need from bugs, dirt, and feces but I prefer supplements! :)

Science today is indeed fraught with fraud, bias, sloppiness, and conflicts of interest. Quietly shelving and burying unfavorable outcomes, inappropriate interpretations, etc. but I figure it’s like that Winston Churchill quote “Democracy is the worst form of government—except for all the others." One could say the peer-reviewed scientific literature these days is the worst form of evidence... except all the others… How else can we make life or death decisions for ourselves, our families, and our patients but by the best available balance of evidence?

In terms of "my" claims, I really try not to make any on NutritionFacts.org, but rather let the science speak for itself. My videos are basically just showing all the original papers and include links to all the sources cited so people can make up their minds for themselves.

I hope that answers your question?

Hope you like the book!

Here's a quote from my new book that touches on this:

"Too much of the nutrition world is split into camps, each following their respective guru. What other field of serious scientific inquiry is like that? After all, 2 + 2 = 4 regardless of what your favorite mathematician thinks. This is because there isn’t a trillion-dollar industry that profits from confusing people about arithmetic. If you were getting conficting messages from all sides about basic math, in desperation, you might have to choose one authority to stick with, hoping that person will accurately represent the available research. Who has time to read and decipher all the original source material?

Early on in my practice, I decided that I didn’t want to rely on anyone else’s interpretation for what could ultimately be life-or-death decisions for my patients. I had the access, the resources, and the background to interpret the science on my own. When I initially began my annual reviews of the nutrition literature, it was really just to make myself a better doctor. But when I discovered such a treasure trove of information, I knew I couldn’t keep it to myself. My hope is to disseminate it in a way that removes me as much as possible from the equation. I don’t want to present the trademarked Dr. Greger Diet; I want to present the best-available-evidence diet. That’s why I show the original papers, charts, graphs, and quotes with links to all the primary sources in my Nutrition Facts.org videos. I try to keep my own interpretation to a minimum—though admittedly, I sometimes can’t help myself!

The reason I think one might see some benefits early on eating predominantly raw is that by definition it means you're cutting out processed food and junk. So compared to a vegan living off of french fries and vegan doughnuts, someone eat a raw vegan diet would do much better. The important thing is to try to eat lots of whole plant foods. I don't know of any data suggesting eating exclusively raw has benefits over a a diet composed of largely whole plant foods, both raw and cooked. I am concerned about AGEs, though, and so though I love them, in my own diet I've been roasting my nuts less. See, for example, my video Reducing Glycotoxin Intake to Prevent Alzheimer’s