Is a plant-based diet the key to actually reversing or preventing dozens of common diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gynecological conditions, and even cancer? The opinion that our overall health is related to a percentage that possibly reaches and exceeds 30% with our food choices is not new, but in recent years it has been established knowledge that many foods we consume lead to obesity or are related to the appearance of certain forms cancer, with processed meat and colon cancer as a typical example, for which recommendations have also been made by the World Health Organization (WHO)

THE Evangelos Filopoulos, president of the Hellenic Anti-Cancer Society EAE, points out that as scientific knowledge and experience from the practice of medicine increases, the need for the wider dissemination of our lifestyle change emerges. “Today we know the great importance of nutrition in protecting health, but also in improving the quality and life span of patients” he points out and adds that the Hellenic Cancer Society actively supports the promotion of plant-based nutrition and is now helping information initiatives, such as conference organized in Athens by the non-governmental organization A Promise to Animals (ARA) in collaboration with the Hellenic Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, with the theme “Developments in the prevention and treatment of diseases through plant-based nutrition”.

In the context of this conference, speaking to APE-MPE, Dr Despina Handolias (MBBS, MD, FRACP) ASLM/IBLM Lifestyle Medicine Certified Physician, notes that extensive research supports healthy eating patterns centered on vegetarian foods to reduce cancer risk and cancer recurrence (WCRF/IACR recommendations). But – as he explains – it is not only prevention, but also the treatment of cancer patients. “It can help prevent relapse, help respond to treatment (immunotherapy) and improve the patient’s overall well-being.”

Screening and treatment means we must also focus on reducing the risk of relapse and reducing other chronic diseases, he adds, concluding that “a vegetarian diet is a key strategy that minimizes harm relative to diets high in animal products and high in in calories”.

The main purpose of the conference was to inform the Greek medical community about the advantages of a plant-based diet, as derived from the research data. The ultimate goal is the formulation of dietary recommendations based on these data, which are still not taken into account by the majority of health scientists in our country.

THE Erietta Kourkoulou-Latsis, founder of the Non-Governmental Organization A Promise to Animals, points out that “in recent years, internationally important research has been carried out, the results of which confirm the undeniable connection between nutrition and our health”. As she explains, the first purely vegan Medical Conference in Greece, with a very interesting topic and renowned Keynotespeakers from Greece and abroad, had as its “goal to inform the medical community about the multiple benefits of a properly planned all-vegetarian diet, so that to eliminate phobias that oppose the scientific data”.

Can it prevent colon cancer?

Diet is the most important exogenous causative factor for colon cancer and this cancer can be prevented to a large extent with proper nutrition, emphasized in his speech the Dimitris Karapiperis MD – FEBG gastroenterologist at CENTRAL HOSPITAL OF NORRKOPING, Sweden.

As he pointed out, “daily consumption of 100g of red meat increases the risk of colon cancer by 12-17%, while daily consumption of 25g of smoked meat increases the risk of colon cancer by 49%”. (Manjinder S, et al. Cancer Epidemiol 2001;10:439-46)

On the other hand, he cited the benefits of fiber in the body and according to what he said, fiber:

• Increase stool volume

• They reduce the time of residence in the intestine and contact with the mucosa

• They cause dilution of carcinogens and promoters of carcinogenesis

• They reduce the levels of bacterial enzymes

• They reduce the rate of activation of carcinogens

• They help in the production of short chain fatty acids

• They reduce the intestinal pH and contribute to the inhibition of carcinogenesis

Can it reverse diabetes?

In response to the question of whether a plant-based diet is the key to the real reversal of diabetes, APE – BEE n Dr Gemma Newman MBBCH DRCOG DFSRH MRCGP NHS General Practitioner, emphasizing that according to the World Health Organization, the number of people with diabetes has increased from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. “How can we deal with this? Educating patients on how they can change their lives and diets. A vegetarian diet can be medicine. Research from Imperial College among 24 vegans and 25 omnivores, examined the muscle cells of these two groups of people to see if there was a relationship between insulin resistance and levels of intracellular lipids. They matched the groups by age, gender and BMI. They found that the vegan group had significantly less fat trapped in muscle, higher insulin sensitivity, better blood glucose and insulin levels, and improved beta cell function,” he says, concluding that this is just one of the possibilities of a plant-based approach to nutrition for diabetes management.

Its role in gynecology and pregnancy

The benefits of an exclusively plant-based diet for a woman’s health, even during the particularly sensitive period of pregnancy, were mentioned by Vasiliki Skalafouri, obstetrician-surgeon-gynecologist. As he said, in gynecology the role of vegetarianism is important in the prevention and treatment of gynecological diseases, such as Polycystic ovaries (PCOS), endometriosis, fibroids, breast cancer, endometrial cancer and menopausal problems, such as hot flashes, night sweats etc.

“Focusing on pregnancy, we can say that a plant-based diet contributes to reducing the risk of Gestational Diabetes (intake of 10g of vegetable fiber/day, 26% risk reduction), Hypertension, and Pre-eclampsia (directly proportional to high consumption of fat and sugar and low fiber consumption), for Body weight gain, for Preterm birth, for Caesarean section, for Postpartum depression and Maternal and neonatal mortality”, he pointed out and concluded by saying that a plant-based diet helps to improve the outcome of fetal growth and the birth weight of a child .

If done correctly it does not cause deficiencies

“It is worth emphasizing that there is no doubt that a completely plant-based diet is suitable for any age, something that has been explained in detail by the largest food and nutrition organizations, as well as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics” emphasizes the hematologist Christina Papi.

She says it has been proven through nutrient measurements that those who follow a strictly plant-based diet are not deficient, as long as they meet one basic condition. This diet should be done correctly. In practice, this essentially means consuming a wide variety of products or supplementing a single essential substance, vitamin B12.

“This necessary substance is B12, which is produced mainly by bacteria in the soil and in plants. But the way we work and the soil and the plants, does not allow us to receive B12 from them, to the extent that we need it. Of course, farm animals are also given B12 as a supplement. Therefore, by eating animal products, we get B12 mainly in the form of a supplement. Whereas, in a strictly plant-based diet, we get B12 directly by taking the supplement directly. This is the difference with the omnivorous diet,” explains Ms. Papi.

It is noted, however, that according to all the evidence that now emerges from many studies, a completely plant-based diet has no risk of deficiencies, as long as it is done correctly, he continues and refers to the example of amino acids: “For amino acids, the measurements show that not only are they not missing but on the contrary, they are often taken and to a greater extent than necessary, in the context of a plant-based diet. In other words, the issue of amino acid deficiency has actually been overstated! Therefore, no protein deficiency has been observed, not even in vegan athletes. On the contrary, it is interesting that athletes who adopt an entirely plant-based diet have the same or even better performance, which obviously cannot be associated with deficiencies and which is also associated with better muscle perfusion and lower oxidative stress.”

Ms. Papi concludes by saying that more clinical studies are needed to make the most of the benefits of a plant-based diet. “The key in this direction is the cooperation of health scientists among themselves and with government agencies, so that the international guidelines can finally be changed and incorporate the new data. And we need to unhook from habits, unlearn and re-learn from the beginning”.