Food Is Medicine: Christopher Gardner, PHD On Using Diet To Prevent Disease
Aug 14, 2023
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Joining the conversation is Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., Director of Nutrition Studies at Stanford and a pioneer in plant-based diet research. He discusses the diet wars, including the merits of plant-based versus carnivore and Mediterranean diets. Gardner emphasizes the importance of personalized nutrition, debunks myths around protein needs, and explains why diet is crucial in disease prevention. He also dives into the significance of understanding dietary studies and the role of a healthy microbiome, offering clear insights on making better food choices.
Consensus in nutrition emphasizes the importance of consuming more vegetables and whole foods while reducing added sugars and refined grains.
Weight loss is complex and requires finding a sustainable and personalized approach that focuses on quality diets rather than specific macronutrient ratios.
Multiple popular dietary patterns recommend increased consumption of vegetables and whole foods, highlighting key areas of agreement in nutrition.
Instead of searching for a single ideal diet, individuals should focus on broader dietary principles that enjoy consensus among various dietary approaches.
Plant-based meat alternatives like Beyond Meat are associated with lower LDL cholesterol, weight loss, decreased TMAO levels, and no increase in blood pressure compared to red meat.
Increasing the consumption of beans and implementing stealth nutrition strategies can significantly improve public health and promote sustainability.
Deep dives
Importance of Consensus in Nutrition
The Rich Roll Podcast episode discusses the importance of focusing on areas of consensus in nutrition rather than getting swept up in controversies. The speaker emphasizes that there is actually more consensus than controversy when it comes to key dietary recommendations. Some of the main areas of consensus include the importance of consuming more vegetables and whole foods, reducing added sugars and refined grains. While there is a vast amount of nutrition information available, it is crucial to cut through the noise and understand that evidence-based research shows consistent findings. By understanding the areas of consensus, individuals can make informed dietary choices based on the best available evidence.
The Complexity of Weight Loss and Adherence
The podcast episode explores the complexities of weight loss and the challenges of adherence to specific diets. The speaker highlights the variability in individual responses to different diets, illustrating that what works for one person may not work for another. This variability is influenced by various factors, including genetics, insulin resistance, and individual behaviors. The episode emphasizes the importance of focusing on quality diets rather than fixating on specific macronutrient ratios. Additionally, it highlights the difficulties in designing studies that accurately reflect real-world conditions and the challenges of long-term diet adherence. The key takeaway is that successful weight loss is complex and requires finding a sustainable and personalized approach.
Finding Common Ground: Overlapping Dietary Patterns
A scientific advisory from the American Heart Association is discussed in the podcast episode, which analyzes the overlap between various popular dietary patterns. The study focuses on 10 different patterns, including the DASH diet, Mediterranean diet, vegetarian diets, low-carb, low-fat, paleo, and keto diets. The findings reveal that despite their differences, all 10 patterns consistently advocate for increased consumption of vegetables, whole foods, and reduced intake of added sugars and refined grains. This consensus among multiple dietary approaches provides a strong foundation for identifying key areas of agreement and encouraging individuals to prioritize these fundamental dietary principles.
The Quest for Precision in Nutrition Research
The podcast episode delves into the challenges of achieving precision in nutrition research and highlights the limitations of trying to pinpoint the perfect diet for every individual. The speaker discusses the difficulties in conducting studies due to the complexity of human responses to different diets and the multitude of influencing factors. It is emphasized that individual adherence and behavior play a significant role in achieving desired outcomes. The episode suggests that instead of searching for a single ideal diet, individuals should focus on broader dietary principles that enjoy consensus among various dietary approaches. This approach allows for flexibility and personalization while still promoting optimal health and well-being.
The Swap Meat Study: Comparing the Health Effects of Plant-Based Meat Alternatives and Red Meat
In a study comparing plant-based meat alternatives to red meat, researchers found that plant-based options like Beyond Meat were associated with lower LDL cholesterol, weight loss, decreased TMAO levels, and no increase in blood pressure compared to red meat. The study involved participants consuming two servings of either plant-based meat or red meat each day for eight weeks. The results suggest that plant-based meat alternatives can be a healthier choice than red meat, even among active individuals.
The Impact of Ordering in the Swap Meat Study
Interestingly, participants who consumed plant-based meat alternatives first and then switched to red meat had a lower increase in TMAO levels compared to those who consumed red meat first. This suggests that the microbiome may play a role in the different responses to the two types of meat. Further analysis is underway to explore this connection.
Addressing Concerns About Plant-Based Meat Alternatives
The study aimed to address concerns related to plant-based meat alternatives, such as the presence of saturated fat, sodium, and being ultra-processed. The findings showed that plant-based options did not lead to adverse effects in these areas when compared to red meat. The study provides evidence that plant-based meat alternatives can be a suitable and healthier alternative to traditional meat products.
Applying the Swap Meat Concept to Athletes
Building on the success of the Swap Meat study, researchers conducted a follow-up study with athletic students to explore how plant-based meat alternatives could impact strength and performance. The study aimed to challenge the notion that athletes require a high amount of animal protein for optimal performance. Results from this study will provide valuable insights into the potential benefits of plant-based meat alternatives on athletic performance.
The Importance of Beans and Stealth Nutrition
One key focus of nutrition should be on increasing the consumption of beans, as they are highly nutritious, versatile, and affordable. Americans currently eat very few beans compared to the rest of the world, and promoting their consumption would have various health and environmental benefits. Additionally, the concept of stealth nutrition aims to leverage individuals' existing values and motivations to make healthier food choices. By aligning nutrition with issues such as animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and labor rights, people are more likely to adopt and sustain dietary changes. This approach emphasizes deliciousness as a key factor in food choices and involves working with chefs to create flavorful plant-based options. Overall, increasing bean consumption and implementing stealth nutrition strategies could have a significant impact on improving public health and promoting sustainability.
Investigating the Maternal Microbiome and Long-Term Health
A current research study is examining the effects of maternal microbiome on the health of both mothers and their children. Pregnant women are randomized into various dietary groups, including increased fiber or fermented foods intake, to investigate how optimizing the maternal microbiome can influence the child's microbiome and long-term health outcomes. This study aims to explore the lasting impact of maternal microbiome changes and potentially discover ways to prevent diseases and improve health starting from early development.
Exploring the Value of Food as Medicine
There is growing interest in the concept of food as medicine and the potential benefits of prescribing meals or groceries alongside traditional medication. A collaboration between the American Heart Association and the Rockefeller Institute aims to allocate $250 million to study the effects of medically tailored meals and produce prescriptions for individuals with food insecurity and various health conditions. By demonstrating the health and cost benefits of covering nutritious meals through insurance, this initiative has the potential to revolutionize healthcare and preventive medicine by recognizing the powerful impact of diet on overall well-being.
Here to guide us toward an evidence-based, rational model for nutritional health and teach us how to distinguish good nutrition science is one of the world’s leading and most innovative researchers, Christopher Gardner, Ph.D.
Dr. Gardner is the Director of Nutrition Studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and a Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. He's been researching the health effects of a plant-based diet for 20 years, and his research has provided significant and practical health insights to better inform our everyday dietary decisions.
Today we dive into the following topics:
What we know and don’t know about diet, weight loss, obesity, diabetes, heart & metabolic health;
the diet wars: plant-based vs. carnivore vs. Mediterranean & low-fat vs. low carb;
common misconceptions about protein requirements;
the importance of personalized nutrition and finding a sustainable diet for long-term success;
what makes a rigorous scientific study and why knowing a study’s funding source is important;
what defines a healthy microbiome; and
why diet is the most under-appreciated, underutilized factor in preventing disease.
Dr. Gardner is an absolute delight. It was an honor to spend time with him. I hope you find his insights clarifying, informative, actionable—and perhaps even life-saving.
