Professional Documents
Culture Documents
# of deaths
Regular meat
eaters
Occasional
meat eaters
(less than
once/week)
Vegetarians
Vegans
Colorectal
cancer
78
30
71
Breast cancer
61
19
41
Prostate cancer 51
18
33
Heart disease
912
251
521
17
Stroke
267
92
234
4
Copyright 2011 Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
# of
deaths/1000
Regular meat
eaters
Occasional
meat eaters
(less than
once/week)
Vegetarians
Vegans
Colorectal
cancer
2.5
3.7
1.3
Breast cancer
1.9
2.3
1.8
2.2
1.4
Heart disease
28.7
30.8
22.4
22.6
Stroke
8.4
11.3
10
5.3
Hunzas
Abkhazians
Vilcabambans
Okinawans
California Adventists
Men
Women
Vegetarian California
Adventists (1980-88)
California (1985)
83.3
85.7
73.8
79.6
Japan (1990)
75.9
81.8
Australia (1990)
73.9
80.0
73.0
79.7
71.9
77.6
Copyright 2011 Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Vegetarian status
Vigorous exercise
Healthy weight
Nut consumption 5 days/week
Vitamin A
Beta-carotene
Vitamin E
Folic acid
Copper
Iron
Vitamin A and folic acid are the two riskiest
ingredients in typical multivitamins.
Copyright 2011 Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Beta-carotene
Populations with high blood beta-carotene
levels had very low rates of cancer
Scientists didnt understand at the time that
beta-carotene was simply a marker for a high
fruit and vegetable diet, rich in hundreds of
additional carotenoids and phytochemicals
Beta-carotene supplement trials:
28% higher rate of death from lung cancer
17% higher rate of death from heart disease
Copyright 2011 Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Vitamin A
Beta-carotene is abundant in fruits and
vegetables, is converted to vitamin A in the
body no need for a supplement
Even more risky than beta-carotene
Cochrane review of 68 trials: vitamin A
supplementation associated with 16%
increased risk of death
Typical amounts used in multivitamins
associated with hip fractures
Copyright 2011 Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Folic Acid
Folate is a B vitamin found in green vegetables
and other plant foods
Important for DNA replication and methylation
important role in fetal development and cancer
Inadequate folate early in pregnancy neural
tube defects
Folic acid is the synthetic form used in
multivitamins and enriched foods; folic acid is
NOT folate
Copyright 2011 Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Salt Intake
U.S. average daily sodium intake 3,500 mg
80% of sodium comes from processed and
restaurant foods
A diet of natural plant foods provides 600-800
mg sodium/day
For millions of years, the human diet did not
contain any added salt
Caffeine is a Drug
Caffeine is a stimulant
Increases blood pressure
Provides a false sense of increased energy,
allowing you to function on inadequate sleep
Reduces depth of sleep
Produces withdrawal symptoms often mistaken
for hunger
Note: it takes 4-5 days for caffeine withdrawal
headaches to resolve
Recommendations on Coffee
Edamame
Tofu
Unsweetened soy milk
Tempeh
Heart disease
Depression
Cancer
Anxiety/panic
Alzheimers disease
Hyperactivity
Attention Deficit
Disorder
Allergies
Autoimmune illnesses
Dermatologic disorders
Inflammatory bowel
disease
Celery
Spinach
Kale
Lettuce
Collards
Strawberries
Blueberries
Copyright 2011 Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Concluding Remarks
No matter where your health is today, you can
improve it
Do not be complacent with taking medications
for the rest of your life.
In the process of striving toward superior
health, you will look better, feel better, and
live longer