Role of diet in modern medicine

[truevegetarian]

Noted Chicagoland physician, Dr.Kunwarjit Singh Duggal talks about the critical role of food in medicine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the U.S. alone, chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases and cancer, contribute to almost two thirds of all deaths, and account for nearly 75 percent of the aggregate healthcare spending. More than 1.7 million Americans die from these diseases each year. 610,000 die of heart disease alone, making it the number 1 killer.

Though genetics may play a role in the development of these diseases, they are mostly diseases of lifestyle.

Noted physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, acclaimed author and international speaker, Dr Kunwarjit Singh Duggal, talks about how if we choose the right way to eat and the right way to move, we can prevent the development and progression of chronic diseases. Furthermore, a plant-based diet can facilitate and enhance the innate healing ability of the human body.

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi and welcome @truevegetarian
Do you have diabetes? If so what type?
Many of us have realised your claims ourselves without resorting to a plant-based diet.
Cutting out highly processed "manufactured" food can be a major benefit that along with deletion of seed oils from the diet seem to play the largest part in correcting metabolic diseases.

 

[Guzzler]

The gentleman is affiliated with the Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, I believe?

 

[Marie 2]

I am a firm believer in a plant based diet!
All those wonder Fruits, Veggies and Whole Grains!

 

[Deleted Account]

Grouping all diabetes together is incorrect. To my knowledge, there is no link between diet and type 1 diabetes.

 

[wiflib]

I’ll carry on eating things with faces until I die ta and y’know, everybody dies in the end.

 

[Robinredbreast]

Noted Chicagoland physician, Dr.Kunwarjit Singh Duggal talks about the critical role of food in medicine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the U.S. alone, chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases and cancer, contribute to almost two thirds of all deaths, and account for nearly 75 percent of the aggregate healthcare spending. More than 1.7 million Americans die from these diseases each year. 610,000 die of heart disease alone, making it the number 1 killer.

Though genetics may play a role in the development of these diseases, they are mostly diseases of lifestyle.

Noted physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, acclaimed author and international speaker, Dr Kunwarjit Singh Duggal, talks about how if we choose the right way to eat and the right way to move, we can prevent the development and progression of chronic diseases. Furthermore, a plant-based diet can facilitate and enhance the innate healing ability of the human body.

Even though I love vegetables, raw and just cooked, type 1 diabetes is not by' lifestyle' and did you know it's an auto immune condition, different management for different types.

 

[Brunneria]

Noted Chicagoland physician, Dr.Kunwarjit Singh Duggal talks about the critical role of food in medicine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the U.S. alone, chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases and cancer, contribute to almost two thirds of all deaths, and account for nearly 75 percent of the aggregate healthcare spending. More than 1.7 million Americans die from these diseases each year. 610,000 die of heart disease alone, making it the number 1 killer.

Though genetics may play a role in the development of these diseases, they are mostly diseases of lifestyle.

Noted physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, acclaimed author and international speaker, Dr Kunwarjit Singh Duggal, talks about how if we choose the right way to eat and the right way to move, we can prevent the development and progression of chronic diseases. Furthermore, a plant-based diet can facilitate and enhance the innate healing ability of the human body.

Hi and welcome,

I am not familiar with Dr Kunwarjit Singh Duggal or his work.

However, the statements that chronic diseases contribute to almost two thirds of all deaths and 75% of healthcare spending seems quite likely. Could you give us references for these statistics, please?

I also agree that eating the right foods and (to some extent) moving in the right way will prevent the development and progression of chronic diseases.

However, while I am happy to agree that plant based eating works for some people, I fundamentally disagree that it works like that for me. This self-knowledge is based on experience, and trialing different ways of eating over the last few decades.

Could also you please give us some references to studies and statistics showing the health benefits you claim?

 

[WuTwo]

Whilst I do agree that diet is hugely important for health I think there are other major contributors; smoking, lack of exercise, over indulgence in alcohol and great stress in life. Even facors such as loneliness and social isolation play their part.

Socio economic factors come into it - if you live in an area where you simply cannot get sufficient food (let alone medical care) it is far more likely that you will die earlier than someone who has access to food and medicine. (And yes, diet plays its part there but few volunteer to eat far less than their body's require). This latter group of people number far more than we lucky few who live in the affluent Western countries (although the circumstances of the very poor in the West are fast approaching those of other nations where acute poverty is endemic.

When we are so incredibly lucky that we can afford to pick and choose our food then yes, it is a sad thing when diet is a major contributor to early death.

I believe in a vegan diet/life but not everyone does and their diets are not necessarily less healthy than mine - just different. I think that to know if a diet is healthy for a person each individual would need medical testing, which would cost a fortune!

Edited for spelling...

 

[Listlad]

Role of diet in modern medicine. Yes indeed it has a more important part to play than it has been given in the past.

 

[Pinkorchid]

Vegans and vegetarians do not just resort to their diet as a member said. Yes there might be a few who give it a try but not seriously. For most it is a dedicated way of life that they firmly believe in be it ethical, cultural or for any other reason and should not be criticised

 

[zand]

Vegans and vegetarians do not just resort to their diet yes there might be a few who give it a try but not seriously. For most it is a dedicated way of life that they firmly believe in be it ethical, cultural or for any other reason and should not be criticised

Totally agree with you. It is a way of life and those following it should understand that not everyone shares the same beliefs. It is wrong to criticise any individual's chosen diet if it works for them. It is equally wrong for a non diabetic to join a forum such as this and declare that a plant based diet is the only way.

I tried a plant based diet and very quickly realised it was going to make my T2 worse.

 

[Oldvatr]

Whilst I do agree that diet is hugely important for health I think there are other major contributors; smoking, lack of exercise, over indulgence in alcohol and great stress in life. Even facors such as loneliness and social isolation play their part.

Socio economic factors come into it - if you live in an area where you simply cannot get sufficient food (let alone medical care) it is far more likely that you will die earlier than someone who has access to food and medicine. (And yes, diet plays its part there but few volunteer to eat far less than their body's require). This latter group of people number far more than we lucky few who live in the affluent Western countries (although the circumstances of the very poor in the West are fast approaching those of other nations where acute poverty is endemic.

When we are so incredibly lucky that we can afford to pick and choose our food then yes, it is a sad thing when diet is a major contributor to early death.

I believe in a vegan diet/life but not everyone does and their diets are not necessarily less healthy than mine - just different. I think that to know if a diet is healthy for a person each individual would need medical testing, which would cost a fortune!

Edited for spelling...

One comment I would like to add to this, and that is that the WHO database clearly shows that although the west has a so called diabetes epidemic and an obesity crisis, the statistics clearly show that diabetes is higher per head of population in the poorer countries around the world, In the countries that have high levels of diabetes, the predominant foodstuffs are listed as being plant based, e.g, cereal or rice. rather thn animal based, In fact the Indian subcontinent which has a high vegetarian following also has one of the worlds highest incidence of T2D.

 

[Oldvatr]

Vegans and vegetarians do not just resort to their diet as a member said. Yes there might be a few who give it a try but not seriously. For most it is a dedicated way of life that they firmly believe in be it ethical, cultural or for any other reason and should not be criticised

Does this mean that we should not question if the diet is a healthy one to follow. or to challenge some of the claims being made for health cures? Or is it because I am an Omniveore treading in a vegetarian subthread?

 

[Pinkorchid]

Totally agree with you. It is a way of life and those following it should understand that not everyone shares the same beliefs. It is wrong to criticise any individual's chosen diet if it works for them. It is equally wrong for a non diabetic to join a forum such as this and declare that a plant based diet is the only way.

I tried a plant based diet and very quickly realised it was going to make my T2 worse.

Yes I agree there is a lobby around who are pushing vegan when for them it is just a passing fad and something to demonstrate about and no they should not be on here if they do not have diabetes .When it comes to diabetes whether we are vegan, vegetarian or meat eaters there is no one diet that suits all only the diet that suits us personally

 

[Pinkorchid]

Does this mean that we should not question if the diet is a healthy one to follow. or to challenge some of the claims being made for health cures? Or is it because I am an Omniveore treading in a vegetarian subthread?

I do not see carnivores here being questioned if their diet is a healthy one to follow so what gives us the right to question the vegans and vegetarians on this forum. In the big wide world the main message is still a low saturated fat diet so how do we who are a small minority within the world think we are right to disagree with that

 

[WuTwo]

I do not see carnivores here being questioned if their diet is a healthy one to follow so what gives us the right to question the vegans and vegetarians on this forum. In the big wide world the main message is still a low saturated fat diet so how do we who are a small minority within the world think we are right to disagree with that

Thank you! So much

 

[WuTwo]

Please do not let this interesting thread degenerate into another anti-veggie thread. It is so very tiresome all the time.

It's all very well questioning, but somehow it usually turns into a pile-on anti-veggie/vegan thread. Cliques R Us strike again!

 

[zand]

@Pinkorchid I think the fact that the low fat message has been around for over 50 years and in that time the nation's health has deteriorated speaks volumes. That gives us every right to say 'hey I eat full fat products now and my health has improved immensely.' In fact I think it's a duty to say what works for us so that others can try it.

 

[Marie 2]

Vegetarians are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes as long as they followed a healthy diet, not junk like sodas etc. Doesn't mean they don't ever get it, but they are less likely too.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671114/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/310953.php