How Not to Die(01 - 23)

Below are my highlights from Dr. Michael Greger's book, How Not to Die. The book was published in 2015 and is over 400 pages long. By reading my notes you will be saved the time-consuming effort of reading the entire book, however I do highly recommend reading it. It could save your life.

CONTENTS

Preface

At age 65 Francis Greger was given a medical death sentence. She was diagnosed with end-stage heart disease. Confined to a wheelchair with crushing chest pain, her doctors told her there was nothing else they could do.

After watching a 60 Minute episode about Nathan Pritikin, Francis traveled cross-country to become one of his first patients. She was placed on a plant-based diet and started a graded exercise program. Whin three weeks she was out of the wheelchair and walking ten miles a day. They wheeled her in and she walked out. The women who was told by doctors that she only had weeks to live didn't die until she was 96 years old and lived to see her grandson graduate from medical school.

Inspired by her near-miraculous recovery her grandson Michael Greger decided to pursue a career in medicine.

Today, Dr. Michael Greger is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues. A founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Greger is licensed as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition.

Many inspire to become doctors after watching a loved one become ill or die. For Michael it was watching his grandmother get better.

Introduction

Art was a healthy robust forty-six-year-old male who enjoyed a healthy lifestyle. He was generous, kind and funny. Everyone liked Art. He exercised regularly and ate a whole food, plant-based diet for over twenty years. Sadly, Art never lived to see his forty-seventh birthday.

So how could such a healthy person die at such an early age? Answer - carbon monoxide poisoning from a newly installed hot water heater. So why eat healthy and exercise regularly when we are just liable to be hit by a car or be struck by lightning? Perhaps the goal should not be in extending the quantity of our life but increasing the quality by keeping off of medications and their nasty side effects, staying out of doctor's offices and avoiding hospitals.

Our genes account for only 10 - 20 percent of risk from most of our leading causes of death.

People who once ate vegetarian diets but started to eat meat once a week experienced a 146% increase in heart disease, 152% increase in stroke, 166% increase in diabetes, and a 233% increase in odds for weight gain.

Unlike drugs that can have dangerous side effects - a healthy diet can benefit all organ systems at once and has good side effects.

The one unifying diet found to prevent and treat many chronic diseases is a whole-food, plant passed diet that encourages the consumption of unrefined plant foods and discourages meats, dairy products, eggs, and processed foods.

The medical system is set up to financially reward prescribing pills and procedures, not produce.

Too often, physicians ignore the potential benefits of good nutrition and quickly prescribe medications instead of giving patients a chance to correct their disease through healthy eating. Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all of their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity.

Chapter 1 How Not to die from Heart Disease

The number one killer of Americans is atherosclerotic plaque - fatty deposits in the walls of your arteries. It occurs over decades bulging the space inside the arteries, narrowing the path for blood to flow. The restriction of blood flow to the heart muscle can lead to pressure, known as angina, when people try to exert themselves. If the plaque ruptures, a blood clot can form within the artery. This sudden blockage of blood flow can cause a heart attack.

The low rates of heart disease in China and Africa can be attributed to low cholesterol. Both diets are centered around plant derived foods such as grains and vegetables. By eating so much fiber and so little animal fat, their total cholesterol levels averaged 150 mg/dL.

The only critical risk factor for atherosclerotic plaque buildup is cholesterol, specifically LDL cholesterol to your blood. To drastically reduce your LDL you need to drastically reduce your intake of three things: trans fat, which comes from processed foods and naturally from meat and dairy, saturated fat, found mainly in animal products and junk foods, and to a lesser degree cholesterol found in animal derived foods, especially eggs.

So why not use medication to lower cholesterol, just pop a pill. Because these drugs do not work as well as people think and have undesirable side effects.

The benefits of satins outweigh the risks for people who are unwilling or unable to bring down their cholesterol levels with dietary changes. These drugs have side effects such as potential for liver or muscle damage. Evidence shows that people on satins can have muscle damage even if their blood tests are normal. Satins also raise the risks of developing diabetes and have the potential for brain- related side effects.

Endotoxins - bacterial toxins found in meats even when the food is fully cooked. This can trigger inflammation.

Chapter 2 How Not to Die from Lung Disease

Lung disease is America's number two killer and number one cancer killer.

Quitting smoking has immediate benefits. Just 20 minutes after quitting your heart rate and blood pressure drop.

Eating broccoli. Cabbage, cauliflower may help prevent further damage.

Chapter 3 How Not to Die from Brain Disease

Alzheimer's disease - involves a subtle decline over months or years. Instead of cholesterol filled plaques in your arteries, plaques made of a substance called amyloid develop in the brain tissues, associated with loss of memory and eventually loss of life.

Stroke - in most strokes. Blood flow to part of the brain gets cut off, depriving it of oxygen and killing off the part fed by the clogged artery.

To minimize stroke the best available science suggest that eating a minimum of 25 grams a day of soluble fiber (fiber that dissolves in water, beans oats, nuts and berries) and 47 grams of insoluble fiber (fiber that does not dissolve in water, whole grains, such as brown rice and whole wheat).

A 1,640 mg increase in potassium per day was associated with a 21% reduction in stroke risk. What are some of the best sources of potassium? Not bananas but greens, beans, and sweat potatoes.

Citrus fruit has been associated with reduced stroke risk

A free radical is a molecule that can be unstable, out of control, and violently reactive.

Diets comprised of mainly animal based foods are low in antioxidant content.

Antioxidant rich diets appear to protect against stroke by preventing the circulation of oxidized fats in the bloodstream that can damage the sensitive walls of the small blood vessels in the brain. They can also help decrease artery stiffness, prevent blood clots from forming and lower blood pressure and inflammation.

Drug companies sell cholesterol lowering satin drugs to prevent Alzheimer's, but satins themselves can cause cognitive impairment, including short- and long-term memory loss. For people unwilling to change their diets, the benefits of satins outweigh the risks, but it is better to lower your cholesterol levels naturally by eating healthier to help preserve your heart, brain, and mind.

When you examine the distribution of Alzheimer's disease around the world, the argument that it comes from genetics begins to crumble. The Alzheimer's rates of Japanese men living in the US are significantly higher than those of Japanese men living in Japan. The rates of Africans in Nigeria are up to four times lower than those of African Americans in Indianapolis.

The evidence suggests that the answer lies in the American diet.

In the US those who don't eat meat (including poultry and fish) appear to cut the risk of developing dementia in half.

Special antioxidant pigments in berries and dark green leafies may make them the brain foods of the fruit and vegetable kingdom.

Eating a handful of berries a day may slow your brain's aging by more than two years.

Chapter 4 How Not to die from digestive Cancers

Starting at age 50 to 75, you should either get stool testing every year, stool testing every year plus a sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, or a colonoscopy every 10 years.

Cancer rates in India are much lower than the US, one possible explanation is the use of turmeric. It may also be due to the type of foods they are using. Only 7% of the adult population eats meat on a regular basis. Most of the population eats dark green, leafy vegetables and legumes, such as beans. Split peas, chick peas, and lentils.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in the Us. In some parts of the world it is unheard of. The highest rates have been recorded in Connecticut and the lowest in Kampala, Uganda. Fiber intake is the key. Most Ugandans consume diets centered around whole plant foods.

Natural compounds called phytates which are found in whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Phytates have been known to detoxify excess iron in the body, which can generate a harmful free radical called hydroxyl radicals. Meat contains the type of iron associated with colorectal cancer but lacks the phytates to extinguish these iron forged free radicals.

Phytates may help protect against colorectal cancer. A 6 year study of 30,000 Californians found that higher meat consumption was associated with higher risk of colon cancer. White meat appeared to be worse. Eating beans was found to help mediate some of that risk, so colon cancer maybe determined to your ratio of meat to vegetables.

The National Cancer Institutes Polyp Prevention trial found that those who increased their bean consumption by less than ¼ cup a day cut their odds of precancerous colorectal polyp re-occurrence by up to 65 %.

The healthiest sources of iron are whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and green. Leafy vegetables. Avoid drinking tea with meals as it can inhibit iron absorption.

20% of pancreatic cancer cases are caused by tobacco smoking. Other modifiable risk factors include obesity and heavy alcohol consumption.

Researchers found a 72% increase of pancreatic cancer for every 50 grams of chicken consumed daily. This may stem from growth-promoting drugs fed to chickens and turkeys, it might also be cancer viruses found in poultry.

The primary risk factors leading to esophageal cancer include smoking, heavy alcohol consumption and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD or acid reflux).

The most consistent association with cancer was the consumption of meat and high-fat meals. Red meat is strongly associated with esophageal cancer. Poultry was associated with cancer around the stomach esophagus border.

Centering your diet around antioxidant rich plant foods may cut in half your odds of esophageal cancer. The most protective foods for cancer at the esophagus stomach border appear to be red, orange and dark green leafy vegetables, berries, apples and citrus fruits.

While fat intake is associated with increased risk of reflux, fiber intake appears to decrease that risk.

Chapter 5 How not to die from Infections

When you eat fresh produce you get both pre- and probiotics into your gut. Fruits and veggies are covered with millions of lactic acid bacteria, some of which are the same as probiotic supplements.

In 2010 more than half a billion eggs were recalled due to Salmonella outbreaks.

Salmonella in eggs can survive scrambled, over easy, and sunny side up cooking methods. Sunny side up is the riskiest.

Eating poultry is the most common source of Salmonella.

Chapter 6 How not to die from Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by chronically elevated levels of sugar in your blood. This is because either your pancreas is not making enough insulin (the hormone that keeps your blood sugar in check), or because your body becomes resistant to insulins effects. The insulin-deficiency disease is known as type-1 diabetes, and the insulin resistant disease is type-2 diabetes.

Every time you eat a meal, insulin is released by your pancreas to help shuttle the glucose into your cells. Without insulin, your cells can't accept glucose, and, as a result, the glucose builds up in your blood. Over time, the extra sugar can damage the blood vessels throughout the body. Over time, the extra sugar can damage the blood vessels throughout the body. That's why diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, and stroke. High blood sugar can also damage your nerves, creating a condition known as neuropathy that can cause numbness, tingling and pain.

You can lower your insulin resistance by lowering your fat intake.

Prediabetes is defined by elevated blood sugar levels that are not yet high enough to reach the official diabetes threshold.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of weight that takes into account. For adults, a BMI over 30 is considered obese. Between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight, and a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered ideal weight. To calculate your BMI multiply your weight in pounds by 703. Then divide that twice by your height in inches. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and are 71 inches tall. That would be (200 x 703) / 71 / 71 = 27.9.

Not all fats affect muscle cells the same way. For example, palmitate, the kind of saturated fat found mostly in meat, dairy and eggs, cause insulin resistance. Oleate, the monosaturated fat found mostly in nuts, olives, and avocados, may actually protect against the detrimental effects of saturated fat.

Many population studies shown that people who eat significant amounts of legumes (beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils) to weigh less. They also have slimmer waists, less obesity, and lower blood pressure compared to people who don't eat many legumes.

Eating legumes was shown to be just as effective at slimming waistlines and improving blood sugar control as calorie cutting. The legumes also gained additional benefits in the form of improved cholesterol and insulin regulation.

The advantage of a whole food, plant-based approach to weight loss is that there may be no need for portion control, skipping meals, or counting calories, because most plant foods are naturally nutrient dense and low in calories.

Canned sardines were found to be the most heavily tainted with hexachlorobenzene, though salmon was found to be the most contaminated food overall. Farmed salmon may be the worst containing 10 times more of a class of toxic chemicals called PCBs than wild caught salmon.

Do those who avoid meat completely get enough nutrients? Researchers looked at a day in the life of 13,000 people across America. They compared the nutrients to those who ate meat to those who didn't. The study found that, calorie for calorie, those eating vegetarian diets were getting higher intakes of nearly every nutrient: more fiber. More vitamin A, C, E, B, riboflavin, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium.

The EPIC PANACEA study identified poultry as the most fattening meat.

Diabetes patients who are able to lose 1/5 of their body weight can reverse their diabetes.

Up to 50% of diabetics eventually develop neuropathy which is frequently resistant to conventional treatments. Of 20 patients who were placed on a plant based diet, 17 reported they felt complete relief from their pain. Within three weeks the patients need for high blood pressure medication dropped by 80%.

Why is this not taught in medical school? There is little money to be made from prescribing plants instead of pills.

Chapter 7 How not to die from High Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure - The first number, systolic, represents the pressure in your arteries as your blood pumps from the heart; the second number, diastolic, is the pressure in your arteries while the heart is resting between beats. The American Heart Association defines normal blood pressure as 120/80. Anything above 140/90 is considered hypertensive.

Cheese is a leading contributor of sodium on the American diet. ¾ of salt comes from processed foods rather than a saltshaker. Chicken is loaded with sodium. The number one source of sodium for American kids and teens is pizza.

Three portions of whole grains a day may reduce blood pressure. A study revealed that a diet rich in whole grains yields the same benefits without the adverse side effects which can include erectile disfunction, fatigue, and leg cramps.

Adding meat to a plant-based diet can significantly elevate blood pressure in a matter of days.

Based on a study of 89,000 Californians, flexitarians (those who eat less meat) had 23% lower rates of high blood pressure. Those who cut out all meat except fish had a 38% lower risk of high blood pressure. Those who cut out all meat had a 55% lower rate. People who cut out all meat had a 75% reduced risk.

A low sodium diet centered around whole plant foods appears to be the best way to lower blood pressure.

Ground flaxseed induced one of the most potent blood pressure lowering effects ever achieved by a dietary intervention.

Studies have shown that loading up on beans, sprit peas, chickpeas and lentils may help a little.

Without Nitric Oxide (NO) your arteries can stiffen and raise your blood pressure. So you need to flood your body with antioxidant rich plant food throughout the day to extinguish the free radicals and let NO synthase get back to its job of keeping your arteries fully functioning.

In addition to eating antioxidant rich foods you can also boost your NO with beets and greens.

Nitrate rich vegetables are favorable to reduce hypertension.

TOP TEN FOOD SOURCES OF NITRATES

1) ARUGALA
2) RHUBARB
3) CILANTRO
4) BUTTER LEAF LETTUCE
5) MESCLUN GREENS
6) BASIL
7) BEET GREENS
8) OAK LEAF LETTUCE
9) SWISS CHARD
10) BEETS

You could take nitrate- and nitric-oxide producing supplements but they have questionable safety and efficacy and should be avoided. The best way to get your nitrate is to eat a big salad every day.

Chapter 8 How not to die from Liver Disease

You cannot live without a liver, the bodies largest organ. The liver keeps unwanted guests out of your bloodstream.

Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to accumulation of fat in the liver which can cause inflammation and result in liver scarring and eventually liver failure. The CDC defines excessive drinking as the regular consumption of more than one drink a day for women and more than two a day for men. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer. 5 ounces of wine.

Specific plant foods have been found to be protective of the liver. For instance, starting the day with a bowl of oat meal and coffee may help safeguard our liver function.

Cranberries can suppress the growth of cancer liver cells.

Subjects who drank more than two cups of coffee a day appeared to have less than half the risk of developing chronic liver problems as those who drank less than one cup.

Chapter 9 How not to die from Blood Cancers

Blood cancers can be characterized into three types: leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Leukemia is a disease in which the bone marrow feverishly produces abnormal white blood cells.

Lymphoma is a blood cancer of lymphocytes which are specialized types of white blood cells. Lymphoma cells multiply quickly and can collect in your lymph nodes, small immune organs that are spread throughout the body, including the armpits, neck, and groin. Lymph nodes help you filter your blood.

Myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells, which are white blood cells that produce antibodies.

After following more than 60,000 people for more than 12 years, University of Oxford researchers found that those who consume a plant based diet are less likely to develop all forms of cancer combined. The greatest protection appeared to be against blood cancers.

Suloraohane, considered on of the more active components in cruciferous vegetables, kills human leukemia cells in a petri dish while having little impact of the growth of normal cells. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, collard greens, turnips, arugula, radishes and cabbage.

The Iowa Womens Health study found that higher cruciferous vegetable intake was associated with lower risk of getting n0n-hodgkin's lymphoma. Those who ate 5 or more servings of green leafy vegetables a week had roughly half the odds of getting lymphoma compared with those who ate less than one serving a week. This applies to dietary intake not supplementary intake.

Of all the animal products studied, poultry tended to be associated with the greatest increase risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Chapter 10 How not to die from Kidney Disease

Kidneys are tasked with the monumental responsibility of filtering your blood all day, every day.

Diets centered around unprocessed plant foods - may be the best way to prevent and treat kidney disease.

Researchers found that three specific dietary components associated with this sign of declining kidney function: animal protean, animal fat, and cholesterol.

The increase in kidney disease is blamed on our meat diet. Excess table sugar and high-frutcose corn syrup consumption is associated with increased blood-pressure and uric acid levels, both of which can damage the kidney. The saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol found in animal products and junk food are also associated with impaired kidney function, and meat protein increases the acid load to the kidneys, boosting ammonia production and potentially damaging our sensitive kidney cells.

Half a dozen clinical trials have shown that substituting plant protein for animal protein helps slow the deterioration of kidney functions.

If people are unwilling to reduce their meat consumption they should increase their fruit and vegetable consumption to balance out the acid load.

Eating a plant based diet to alkalinize your urine may help prevent and treat kidney stones. Lowering meat intake can lower the risk of kidney stones.

Fish consumption might be worse than meats in terms of the risk of certain kidney stones. Overall stone formers should limit the intake of all animal proteins.

According to a LAKE (Load of Acid to Kidney Evaluation) the single most acid producing food was fish.

Having too much phosphorus in the blood may increase the risk of kidney failure, heart failure, heart attacks, and premature deaths. To avoid phosphorus in processed foods don't buy anything containing ingredients with the word phosphate in their names, including pyrophosphate and sodium triphosphate. A supermarket survey found more than 90% of chicken products contained phosphate additives.

Chapter 11 How not to die from Breast Cancer

Breast cancer screening, by its definition, does not prevent breast cancer. Based on autopsy studies, as many as 39% of women in their 40's already have breast cancers growing within their bodies that may be too small to be detected. That's why you can't wait until diagnosis to start eating healthier.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, the best way to prevent cancer is a diet that revolves around whole plant foods = vegetables, whole grains, fruits and beans.

Eating a plant-based diet along with walking every day can improve cancer defenses within just two weeks.

According to the World Health Organization, regarding breast cancer, no amount of alcohol is safe.

Women with higher melatonin have been found to have lower rates of breast cancer. In 2005, Japanese researchers reported an association between higher vegetable intake and higher melatonin levels in the urine.

Heterocylic Amines (HCAs) is a cancer producing substance. It is formed when muscle meat, including beef, pork, fish, poultry is cooked using high temperature methods.

Women who eat more grilled, barbecued, or smoked meats over their life time may have as much as a 47% higher odds of breast cancer.

Cancer appears to feed on cholesterol.

Lowering cholesterol can be done without drugs by eating a healthy plant based diet.

Inadequate fiber consumption may also be a risk factor for breast cancer. Every 20 grams of fiber intake per day was associated with a 15% lower risk of breast cancer.

Daily apple eaters have a 24% lower odds of breast cancer, as well as a significantly lower risk of ovarian cancer, laryngeal cancer, and colorectal cancer.

Green tea has been associated with a 30% reduction in breast cancer risk.

Chapter 12 How not to die from Suicidal Depression

Leafy vegetables and tomatoes may positively affect your brain chemistry and help ward off depression. There are components in certain foods that may increase the risk of depression, such as arachidonic acid found in chicken and eggs.

Evidence suggest that that people with higher levels of arachidonic acid in their blood may end up at significantly higher risks of suicide and major episode of depression.

The top 5 sources of arachidonic acid are chicken, eggs, beef, pork and fish. Although chicken and eggs alone contribute more than the other foods combined. Just a single egg a day may significantly increase arachidonic levels in the blood.

Higher consumption of vegetables may cut the odds of developing depression by as much as 62 %.

People who suffer from depression appear to have elevated levels of monoamine oxidase (MAO). Many plant foods including apples, berries, grapes onions and green tea, contains phytonutrients that appear to naturally inhibit the MAO.

Frequent consumption of sweetened beverages may increase the risk of depression among older adults. Adding the artificial sweetener aspartame (found in NutraSweet) or saccharine (Sweet'n Low) was associated with an increased risk of depression. These ingredients are also in many processed foods so avoid processed foods.

People who exercise have 25% less risk of major depression.

A study of nearly 3,000 Canadians found that greater fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with lower risk of depression.

A study of nearly 1,000 elderly men and women found that people who ate tomatoes or tomato products daily had just half the odds of depression compared with those who ate them once a week.

Antidepressant side effects include sexual disfunction and weight gain and insomnia.

Chapter 13 How not to die from Prostate Cancer

Researchers found that cow's milk stimulated the growth of human prostate cancer cells in each of 14 separate experiments, producing an average increase in cancer growth rate of more than 30%. In contrast almond milk suppressed the growth of the cancer cells by more than 30%. A compilation of case-control studies did conclude that milk consumption is a risk for prostate cancer.

Milk preventing osteoporosis is a myth.

Harvard researchers recruited 1,000 men with early stage prostate cancer. Compared with men who rarely ate eggs, men who ate even less than a single egg a day had twice the risk of prostate cancer. The only thing worse for prostate cancer was poultry.

Men who consume two and a half eggs or more a week may have an 81% increased risk of dying of prostate cancer.

The blood of men on the standard American diet slowed down the rate of cancer cell growth by 9%. Place men on a plant based diet for a year and the blood circulating within their bodies can suppress cancer cell growth by 70%.

Adding a single serving of broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower may reduce the risk of cancer progression by half.

Flaxseed is a safe, low cost source of nutrition that may reduce tumor proliferation rates. The flaxseeds must be ground.

Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition characterized by enlargement of the prostate gland. Because the male prostate surrounds the outlet of the bladder, it can obstruct the normal flow of urine if it grows too large. This can cause a weak or hesitant stream and inadequate emptying of the bladder, requiring frequent trips to the bathroom. The rarity of BPH and prostate cancer in Japan and China have been attributed to the countries plant based diets.

Flaxseed can be used to treat BPH. Eating garlic and onions have been associated with significantly lower risk of BPH. In general, cooked vegetables may work better than raw ones, and legumes - beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils have also been associated with lower risks.

Chapter 14 How not to die from Parkinson's Disease

Most people develop the disease from toxic pollutants in our environment that can build up in the food supply and eventually affect the brain.

The number one food source of arsenic is poultry among preschoolers and for their parents tuna. The top source for lead is dairy, for mercury - fish. Most DDT comes from meat particularly fish. The highest PCB contamination was found in fish and fish oil, followed by eggs, dairy, and other meats. The lowest contamination was found at the bottom of the food chain, in plants.

Hexachlorobenzene may be found mainly in dairy and meat, including fish.

The most concentrated sources of dioxins are in butter, eggs, and processed meats.

Eating more than half an egg a day was associated with two to three times higher odds for cancers of the mouth, colon, bladder, prostate, and breast to those who didn't eat eggs at all.

The best way to minimize your exposure to industrial toxins may be to eat as low as possible on the food chain - a plant based diet.

Dairy consumption was associated with significantly increased risk of Parkinson's disease.

A Harvard study of 130,000 people found that people who ate more berries appear to have significantly lower risk of developing the disease. Apples also appeared protective against Parkinson's but only for men.

Coffee consumption is associated with a 1/3 lower risk.

Chapter 15 How not to die from Iatrogenic Causes (or, How Not to die from Doctors)

Overworked doctors cause 300% more fatigue-related medical errors that lead to patient deaths.

Getting a chest CT scan is estimated to inflict the same cancer risk as smoking 700 cigarettes. CT scans and X-Rays can be life saving, but evidence suggest that 1/5 to ½ of all CT scans aren't necessary at all and could be replaced by a safer type of imaging or not performed at all.

Pilots who consumed the most dietary antioxidants suffered the least amount of DNA damage. Consumption must be dietary, supplements do not work.

Research found that green, leafy vegetables like spinach and kale appear to have an edge over other vegetables and fruits when it comes to radiation protection.

When it comes to cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood thinning drugs, the chance of even high-risk patients benefiting from them is less than 5% over 5 years.

Cholesterol-lowering satin drugs, may offer only a 3% reduction over 6 years in heart attack or death. A whole food or plant-based diet may work 20 times better, potentially offering an absolute risk reduction of 60% after fewer than 4 years.

Aspirin is used by millions as a blood thinner to reduce the risk of heart attack. Should everyone take a baby strength aspirin a day? No. The same blood thinning benefit that can prevent a heart attack can also cause a hemorrhagic stroke, in which you bleed into your brain. Aspirin can also damage the lining of the digestive tract.

People who have had a heart attack should follow their physician's advice, which probably includes taking an aspirin daily. Everyone else should take aspirin but in the form of produce not pill.

Aspirin contains salicylic acid. Another way to get more salicylic acid is by opting for more whole foods.

Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen

1- Foods to fit into your daily diet:
2- Beans
3- Berries
4- Other Fruits
5- Cruciferopus Vegetables
6- Greens
7- Other Vegetables
8- Flaxseeds
9- Nuts
10- Spices
11- Whole Grains
12- Beverages
13- Exercise

Beans

A comprehensive analysis of diet and cancer published in 2007 by the American Institute for Cancer research recommended eating whole grains and/or legumes (beans, split peas, chickpeas, or lentils) with every meal. Not every weak or every day, every meal. Beans are packed with fiber, folate, and phytates, which may help reduce the risk of stroke, depression, and colon cancer.

There are two principal reasons to avoid salt: stomach cancer and high blood pressure.

Edamame - about as whole a soy food as you can get. Eat raw or cooked.

Lentils - Rich in prebiotics. Great in spaghetti sauce.

Berries

Berries are the healthiest fruits. As a group, they average nearly ten times more antioxidants than other fruits and vegetables. Most nutrition is retained when frozen.

Color foods are often the healthiest. Shop for the reddest of strawberries, the blackest of blackberries, the darkest green broccoli. The colors are the antiaging, anticancer antioxidants. Kumquats may be the healthiest citrus fruit, since you can eat them rind and all.

Consuming sugar in fruit form is not only harmless but helpful. Eating a piece of fruit with each meal could be expected to lower, rather than raise, the blood sugar response.

Font color=blue>Cocoa, berries should be eaten in moderation during late pregnancy.

Other Fruits

Watermelon - Contains a compound called citrulline that can boost the activity of the enzyme responsible for dilating the blood vessels in the penis that result in erections. Citrulline supplementation at the level of five servings of red watermelon a day improved erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction, allowing for a 68% increase in monthly intercourse frequency.

Dried Fruit - The industry adds sugar to already sweet dried fruit for added weight. Just as poultry processors inject salt water into chickens to add water weight, processed food companies often use sugar as a cheap way to bulk up products sold by the pound.

Kiwi - Two an hour before bedtime appears to significantly improve sleep onset, duration, and efficiency. Two a day improve bowel function.

Cruciferous Vegetables/Greens/Nuts/ Herbs

Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, collards.

Helps prevent lymphoma, boosts liver detox enzymes, and targets breast cancer stem cells, and reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

A double blind, randomized trial of boys with autism found that two or three cruciferous vegetable servings improves social interaction, abnormal behavior, and verbal communication within a matter of weeks.

Chop cruciferous vegetables and wait 40 minutes, then you can cook as much as you want and retain the nutrients. Sprinkling powdered mustard seeds on frozen broccoli it is almost as good as eating the vegetables raw.

Wheatgrass juice - Cleans you out

Greens

Dark green leafy vegetables are the healthiest foods on the planet.

If you use the drug warfarin (also known as coumadin) talk to your physician before you increase your green intake.

Eating greens nearly every day may be one of the most powerful steps you can take to prolong your life.

Consider mixing greens with a green-light source of fat: nuts, seeds. Many of the nutrients greens are famous for are fat soluble. Pairing greens with a green-light source of fat will maximize nutrient absorption. This can be a single walnut or a handful of pistachios after a meal.

One green to avoid are alfalfa sprouts. They can cause Salmonella poisoning.

Sweet potatoes can be considered a superfood. They are ranked as one of the healthiest foods on the planet. The peel of a sweet potato has nearly 10 times the antioxidant power as the inner flesh.

Garlic is one of the best vegetables against breast cancer, brain cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and stomach cancer.

Nuts and Seeds

In major study after study, people who eat walnuts tend to live longer and suffer fewer deaths from cancer. Walnuts are the healthiest nut.

Atherosclerosis is considered a systemic disorder that uniformly affects all major blood vessels in the body. Hardening of the arteries can lead to softening of the penis, since stiffened arteries can't relax open and let the blood flow. Erectile dysfunction may just be the flaccid tip of the iceberg in terms of a systemic disorder. For two thirds of men showing up at emergency rooms with crushing chest pain, their penis had been trying to warn them for years that something was wrong with their circulation.

Cholesterol levels can predict erectile dysfunction later in life.

A study found that men who ate 2 or 3 handfuls of pistachios a day for 3 weeks experienced a significant improvement in blood flow through the penis, accompanied by significantly firmer erections.

Herbs and Spices

Turmeric - ¼ cup of Turmeric a day has been known to kill cancer cells. It is best used in combination of a sprinkling of black pepper. Although it may help prevent gallstones, If you suffer from gallstones, turmeric may trigger pain. Too much turmeric may increase the risk of certain kidney stones.

Ginger - good for headaches and reduces menstrual pain and reduces nausea.

Peppermint - the most antioxidant herb. Great for adding to drinks.

Whole Grains

Three servings of whole grains a day are recommended.

Five-to-one rule - Packed grain products labeled on the front with words like multigrain, stone-ground, 100% wheat, cracked wheat, seven grain, or bran is usually not a whole grain product. Look at the nutrition facts labeled on the package and see if the ratio of grams of carbohydrates to grams of dietary fiber is 5 or less. For example, if the product lists 30grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber 30/3 = 10. 10 is more than 5 so it is not a whole grain product.

Beverages

Water is the healthiest beverage to drink. Not drinking enough water can be associated with fractures, heat stroke, heart disease, lung disorders, kidney disease, kidney stones, bladder and colon cancer, urinary tract infection, constipation.

The World Health Organization recommends 8 to 11 cups of cater a day and 10 to 15 for men. This includes water from all sources not just beverages. You get about 4 cups from the food you eat and water your body actually produces, so this translates into drinking 4 to 7 cups for women and 6 to eleven for men.

Tap water may be better than bottled water because it has less chemicals.

Tea - Green, black and vanilla tea is very health and can lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Stay away from kombucha tea. Hibiscus tea has a antihypertensive effect and can lower blood pressure. Rinse your mouth with water after consumption to prevent the sour teas natural acid from dissolving your enamel.

Appendix

B-12 - Given modern sanitary standards, a regular, reliable source of vitamin B12 is critical for anyone eating a plant based diet. For adults under age 65 should take at least one 2,500 mg supplement each week. If you take too much, it becomes expensive pee. You could also tale it daily in 250 mcg doses. The doses are specific to cyanocobalamin, the preferred supplemental form of vitamin B12. For those over 65 the supplement should be increased to 1,000 mcg a day.

D - People unable to get sufficient sun should take one 2,000 IU vitamin D3 supplement each day.

Fish Oil - Not recommended since it has been found to be contaminated with considerable amounts of PCB and other pollutants.

Research has found that excessive seafood intake, more than 3 or 4 servings a month of tuna or snapper, elevates mercury levels.

Fish Oil

Research showed no protective benefit for overall mortality, sudden cardiac death, heart attack, or stroke.

Brazil Nuts

Research from Brazil showed that a serving of 4 nuts almost immediately improved cholesterol levels. LDL was a staggering 20 points lower just 9 hours after eating the nuts. Brazil nuts are high in the mineral selenium that eating 4 every day may bump you up against the tolerable daily limit. It is important to limit your intake to 1 to 3 a day (Health Risks of eating Brazil Nuts

Eggs

Have been associated with asthma attacks among children, along with wheezing, shortness of breath, and exercise induced coughing. Removing eggs from children's diets have been shown to improve asthmatic lung functions in as few as 8 weeks.

Bananas

Not particularly rich in potassium. They don't even make the top 1,000 foods with the highest levels of potassium. You would need to eat a dozen bananas to get the minimum daily requirement of potassium.

Kale

One of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet - it may also fight infection.

Broccoli

Rallies your immune system. It protects against pollutants in the environment and pathogens found in food.

Flaxseed

Ground flaxseed induced one of the most potent blood pressure lowering effects ever achieved by a dietary intervention.

Helps control cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood sugar levels, and treat constipation.

Flaxseed is considered are first line medical therapy for menstrual breast pain. Eating a daily tablespoon of flaxseed can extend a women's cycle by about a day. This means she will have fewer period over a lifetime, therefore less estrogen exposure and reduced breast cancer.

Hibiscus Tea

Drinking two cups of hibiscus tea a day for a month may provide as much as an 8% drop in cholesterol. Helps lower blood pressure. If you drink it make sure to rinse your mouth out with water to keep the natural acids off of your teeth. Do not drink more than a quart a day.