Geisinger Preventive Medicine Lecture Series: “Why Is Nutrition Ignored in Medicine?”

1 Oct, 2022

Geisinger Preventive Medicine Lecture Series: “Why Is Nutrition Ignored in Medicine?”

Lecture Type: Online Video (Link Here)

Time: 54 minutes and 04 seconds

Date: November 30, 2016

Speaker: Dr. T Colin Campbell, MD

Topic: Nutrition in Medicine

Introduction

In contrast to common belief, medical doctors have historically had very little training, or education, in the field of nutrition. This is beginning to change. The rising prevalence of chronic diseases, like diabetes and heart disease, have been linked to our everyday food choices. Processed foods that are high in fat, calories, and sugar, and low in nutrients, are a major contributor to such chronic conditions. Dr. Campbell presents research findings on the impact of food on human health and suggests we should eat a plant-based diet in his lecture on nutrition in medicine for the Geisinger Commonwealth Preventive Medicine Lecture Series. He also promotes adding nutrition to medical education to better prepare our future physicians to treat, and prevent, many lifestyle-driven health conditions today.

Plant-Based Nutrition

In the beginning, Dr. Campbell grew up on a dairy farm where cow’s milk was perceived as the embodiment of a healthy diet. Now, a professor of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University, he has had decades of research experience that reversed his attitude towards animal-based proteins. He now advocates for whole-food plant-based diet (WFPBD).

Dr. Campbell emphasizes that whole-food plant-based diets are not necessarily vegan or vegetarian. Oreos can be considered vegan; however, they contain processed flours and sugars, which have been shown to have detrimental health effects. Instead, the WFPBD includes plenty of whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. It minimizes added fats, sugars, and processed foods. This allows for a varied intake of phytonutrients, including antioxidants like vitamin C, B complex vitamins, and minerals like calcium. He suggests we should move away from a reductionist view of nutrition in medical science, such as taking supplements in the form of pills similar to pharmacology, to instead have a “wholistic” view. He explains that the typical person can obtain most, if not all, of the nutrients we need through a varied plant-based diet.

Review of the Research

Dr. Campbell reviews multiple studies in his lecture on the links between nutrition and human health. Below is a quick review, as presented by Dr. Campbell.

Nutrition Supplementation Research

Dr. Campbell reviews three research articles that show certain nutrients, taken in isolation through supplementation, have health risks. He reports:

**Vitamin E increases hemorrhagic stroke by 74% (Sesso et al,., 2008)

**Calcium and vitamin D increase the number of cardiovascular events(Kamangar and Emadi, 2012)

**Vitamin E increase the risk of prostate cancer by 17% Radford et al., 2013)

Protein and Cancer Risk

Dr. Campbell reviews two studies by Madhavan and Gopalan (1968) and Wells et al. (1974) that compared two groups of mice treated with a cancer-causing agent. One group was fed a 20% protein diet and another fed a 5% protein diet, considered the regular and low protein diet groups. The dietary protein type was casein, which is found in milk. Findings showed that the high protein diet had a significant increase in tumor formation compared to the low protein diet.

Dr. Campbell personally expanded upon these studies in 1991 and 1992 in partner with Youman. Their studies showed that this high dietary protein link to cancer formation could be turned off, or reduced, by later switching mice to a lower protein diet.

Dr. Campbell and Dunaif (1987) also showed a dose-response curve to increase dietary protein and risk of increasing cancer. Their research showed 10% dietary protein intake, by calories, showed minimal risk before increasing. Below is a slide from Dr. Campbell’s lecture that shows this relationship.

(Campbell, 2016)

Protein Types

Finally, Dr. Campbell suggests that not all proteins are made equal. In a study by Meeker and Kesten (1940-1941), that studies heart health through plaque formation in arteries of rabbit models, there was a five-fold difference in plaque formation between soy and casein protein, with casein having the greater plaque formation.

Final Thoughts

Dr. Campbell presents research that suggests a whole-food plant-based diet (WFPBD) that is lower in animal proteins can have potential health benefits related to cancer risk and heart health. A varied WFPBD may also provide the nutrition necessary for a healthy diet without the potential risks of taking isolated supplements. It is important to note that these studies mainly focused on casein, a protein found in milk.

One limitation of the studies above was the number of protein types that were assessed. It would be beneficial to look at the effects of different forms of protein on the health risks described above, beyond casein. Plant-based proteins may be a healthier alternative, such as was discussed in relation to soy protein; however, it would go beyond the research to extrapolate such findings to all animal proteins. Please speak with a doctor before attempting to reduce your protein intake or switching to a plant-based diet. Protein is a vital macronutrient and should not be removed from a healthy diet.

Stay tuned as I bring you more research on proteins in future articles!

Links to Studies

Below are links to the studies referenced in Dr. Campbell’s lecture. I was unable to find anything for Well’s et al (1974). Some of the articles and books listed below do need to be purchased to view. They are free unless otherwise noted. I encourage you to read these studies yourself to learn more.

  • Dunaif, G.E., Campbell, T.C. (1987, July). Dietary protein level and aflatoxin B1-induced preneoplastic hepatic lesions in the rat.  The Journal of Nutrition, 117 (7), 1298 – 1302. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/117.7.1298 **Requires purchase or institutional access to view beyond the article’s abstract.
  • Gibney, M. (1983). Animal and Vegetable Proteins in Lipid Metabolism and Atherosclerosis: Current Topics in Nutrition and Disease (Vol. 8). A.R. Liss. **Can purchase book from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/vegetable-proteins-metabolism-atherosclerosis-nutrition/dp/084511607X
  • Kamangar, F., Emandi, A. (2012, March 3). Vitamin and Mineral Supplements: Do We Really Need Them? International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 3 (3), 221 – 226. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3309636/
  • Meeker, D.R., Kesten, H.D. (1940, November). Experimental Atherosclerosis and High Protein Diets. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 45 (2). https://doi.org/10.3181/00379727-45-11744P **Requires purchase or institutional access to view beyond the article’s abstract.
  • Radford, L.T., Bolland, M.J., Gamble, G.D., Gey, A., Reid, J.R. (2013, March 3). Subgroup analysis for the risk of cardiovascular disease with calcium supplements. Bonekey Reports, 2 (293). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3722731/
  • Sesso, H.D., Buring, J.E., Christen, W.G., Kurith, T., Belanger, C., MacFadyen, J., Bubes, V., Manson, J.E. Glynn, R.J., Gaziano, J.M. (2009, November 12). Vitamins E and C in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Men: The Physicians’ Health Study II Randomized Trial. JAMA, 300 (18), 2123 – 2133. Doi: 10.1001/jama.2008.600
  • Sobiecki, J.G., Appleby, P.N., Bradbury, K.E., Key, T.J. (2016, May). High compliance with dietary recommendations in a cohort of meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition – Oxford study. Nutrition Research, 36 (5), 464 – 477. 10.1016/j.nutres.2015.12.016
  • Youngman, L.D., Campbell, T.C. (1991, September 1). High Protein Intake Promotes the Growth of Hepatic Preneoplastic Foci in Fischer #344 Rats: Evidence of Early Remodeled Foci Retain the Potential for Future Growth. The Journal of Nutrition, 121 (9), 1454 – 1461. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/121.9.1454 **Requires purchase or institutional access to view beyond the article’s abstract.

Citation

Campbell, T.C. (2016, November 30). Why is Nutrition Ignored in Medicine? [Lecture Recording]. Geisinger Commonwealth Preventive Medicine Lecture Series in partnership with WVIA. https://on-demand.wvia.org/video/wvia-special-presentations-dr-t-colin-campbell-why-nutrition-ignored-medicine/

Disclaimer

This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a personal physician. All viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. The publisher of this content does not take responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, exercise or other lifestyle program.