Altena, part of the North Brabant province in the Netherlands, has stepped up to create the “Plant-Based Together” project. In partnership with the Green Protein Alliance (GPA), the project wants to encourage people to choose plant-based foods more often. Wageningen university will also be participating as a research partner.

Local schools, supermarkets, and restaurants are participating in the plant-based push. Alongside, Dutch beach volleyball professional Raïsa School is on board as an ambassador. She will show support through the sharing of her favorite vegan recipes and food products across her social channels. 

She also appears in a video where she directly asks the residents of Altena to eat plant-based food more frequently.

“Tasting that plant-based food can be delicious is the best way to convince people,” said the GPA’s Marrianne Karstens. “This is why we are organizing several tasting sessions together with supermarket entrepreneurs from the region.”

Helping the Dutch go plant-based

The new project comes amid a similar nationwide push from GPA. The alliance wants to see Dutch diets embrace a 50:50 split in terms of plant-based and animal-based proteins by 2025. At present, the split is thought to be 37:63 in favor of foods that include meat and dairy.

Altena is considered a prime location to test the effectiveness of the promotion of plant-based food. This is due to it not currently being deemed a popular choice for many of the population. 

The success or failure of the initiative will be judged on consumer shopping habits, with purchase data analyzed to identify any positive uptick in plant-based food buying.

“Based in part on checkout data, we will measure in the period after the [supermarket] tastings whether they have had a long-term incentive effect,” Karstens concluded.

The post Why This Dutch Town Is Encouraging Residents To Eat Vegan Food appeared first on Plant Based News.

Some of the Coca-Cola Company’s most renowned sodas contain animal-derived ingredients, and are therefore not vegan. So is Coke and its ingredients vegan-friendly? And, what soda ingredients make drinks not suitable for vegans?

Coca-Cola history

The Coca-Cola drink was born way back in 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia. Pharmacist Dr John Stith Pemberton crafted the syrup, serving it inside a jug down the streets outside Jacob’s Pharmacy.

Since then, there have been many iterations, such as Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, and flavors like cherry, lime, mango, and vanilla.

Now, the Coca-Cola Company has hundreds of brands and products to its name, including soda, juice, kombucha, tea, coffee, water, and flavored alcoholic beverages. These are sold in more than 200 countries and territories.

Over 2022, the company pulled in a staggering $42 billion in revenue.

Is Coke vegan?

Coca-Cola confirms on its website that its classic drink of the same name is indeed vegan-friendly.

Writing about whether the ingredients of Coke are vegan, it states:

“The vast majority of our drinks, including Coca-Cola, are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.”

Coke ingredients explained

Coca-Cola Classic contains six ingredients, though the drink is around 90 percent carbonated water. Coke’s ingredients also include sugar, caramel color, phosphoric acid, caffeine, and a blend of secret natural flavors.

On the surface, it would appear that these are vegan drink ingredients.

There is some confusion, however, about whether Coke is actually a suitable soda for vegans. This is due to the fact that it contains sugar (around 39 grams in each can).

Is sugar vegan?

In some parts of the world (including the US), sugar is occasionally considered unsuitable for vegans. This is because it can be made using animal bones.

Bone char, as it’s often known, is added to achieve a white color. But it’s unlikely you’ll find it listed on the box of your favorite brand. The char, also called “natural carbon,” comes from the bones of slaughtered cows.

Despite brown sugar not needing white coloring, some brown sugar producers still use bone char.

A gray area of veganism?

Some vegans may avoid ingredients that are connected to animals in any way — such as sugar and even some fruits and vegetables. But this view isn’t necessarily shared across the community.

A widely used definition of veganism comes from The Vegan Society, a 79-year-old charity working on accelerating the movement.

“Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose,” the definition reads.

PETA has also weighed in on the matter. It has proclaimed that eating vegan isn’t necessarily about “perfection,” and that you shouldn’t “stress too hard” about sugar if you’re unsure exactly how it was produced.

What Coca-Cola drinks aren’t vegan?

While Coke’s ingredients are widely considered vegan, some of Coca-Cola’s most well-known drink brands aren’t. These include Lilt and some Schweppes products, as they contain fish gelatin.

The following products contain animal product ingredients, and are therefore not vegan:

• Barista Bros
• Costa Coffee Ready-to-Drink Caramel Latte
• Costa Coffee Ready-to-Drink Latte
• Costa Coffee Ready-to-Drink Americano
• Glaceau Vitaminwater Zero Sunshine and Multi V
• Honest (Lemon and Honey)
• Kia-Ora Orange Squash No Added Sugar
• Lilt
• Lilt Zero
• Schweppes Indian Tonic Water
• Schweppes Orange Squash

Vegan soda options at Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola confirms that most of its drinks are vegan-friendly. They include:

• Appletiser
• Coke Classic
• Coke No Sugar
• Coke Raspberry
• Coke Vanilla
• Coke Zero
• Diet Coke
• Dr Pepper
• Fanta Orange
• Fanta Jelly Fizz
• Fanta Passionfruit Cream
• Fuzetea
• Glaceau Smartwater/Vitaminwater
• Grapetiser
• Lift
• Oasis
• Powerade
• Rose’s
• Sprite

Does Coca-Cola test on animals?

In the past, Coca-Cola was reportedly involved in controversial production practices, such as force-feeding rats its “caramel color.”

But back in 2007, Coca-Cola said it would stop conducting and funding animal tests. In a letter shared by PETA, the company stated: “The Coca-Cola Company does not conduct animal tests and does not directly fund animal tests on beverages.”

Moreover, it said it would send letters to partners and research organizations insisting they use alternative methods.

The post Is Coca-Cola Vegan? Here’s What You Need To Know About Soda Ingredients appeared first on Plant Based News.

The study, which was published in BMC Medicine, looked at 79,952 US-based men. It found that those who ate the largest amount of foods like vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes were 22 percent less likely to develop the disease than those who ate the least.

As part of the research, study participants were asked how often they ate food and drink items from a list of more than 180. They were also questioned about portion sizes. 

The foods were classified into healthy plant foods (including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and coffee), less healthy plant foods (refined grains, potatoes, and fruit juices), and animal foods (animal fat, dairy, eggs, and meat, including fish).

Researchers also looked at 93,475 women as part of the study. They did not, however, find a similar link.

Study findings

The study’s authors have speculated that it is the antioxidants in plant-based foods that may lower the risk of bowel cancer. This is due to the fact that they can suppress chronic inflammation. 

“Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide and the risk of developing colorectal cancer over a lifetime is one in 23 for men and one in 25 for women,” said Jihye Kim, the study’s corresponding author from Kyung Hee University, South Korea.

“Although previous research has suggested that plant-based diets may play a role in preventing colorectal cancer, the impact of plant foods’ nutritional quality on this association has been unclear. Our findings suggest that eating a healthy plant-based diet is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer.”

The research also indicates that the link may vary between race and ethnicity. Findings indicated, for example, that Japanese American men who ate more plant foods had a 20 percent decreased risk, while white men had 24 percent less risk.

The researchers also stated that, due to the observational nature of the study, no conclusions could be drawn about a causal relationship between eating plant-based food and developing bowel cancer. 

The post Men On Healthy Plant-Based Diets 22% Less Likely To Develop Bowel Cancer, Study Suggests appeared first on Plant Based News.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) in Weybridge has been classified as vulnerable to systemic operational failure. The Public Accounts Committee (which oversees government spending efficiencies) conducted an inquiry into the facility. It found that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had “comprehensively failed” to run the site to the necessary standard.

This was supported by evidence of more than 1,000 “single points of failure” at the facility. All could prove critical in the event of an animal disease outbreak.

As it stands, the APHA is ill-equipped to handle anything more serious than the current avian flu outbreak. The Public Accounts Committee raises this as a major cause for concern given that multiple zoonotic disease threats are mounting. These include potential outbreaks of African swine fever and bovine tuberculosis.

UK government and zoonotic disease risk

Defra previously announced plans to improve the APHA facilities. It was recently revealed that £2.8 billion has been budgeted for the task. However, this was a 15-year course of remedial action expected to be completed in 2036. In the meantime, emergency repairs and small improvements are being made to mitigate the likelihood of zoonotic disease outbreaks. 

The last serious incident at the site occurred in 2014. There was a power outage at some of its buildings containing animals infected with bacteria and viruses. The report found that this could have led to the escape of a pathogen. 

“These [zoonotic] diseases are devastating for our food production systems, the economy and, when they jump the species barrier to humans as Covid-19 did, to our whole society,” Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the Public Accounts Committee said in a statement. 

“[The UK] Government must get a grip on this crucial and much-delayed redevelopment programme. When it comes to the safety of our country we cannot afford more of the waste and delivery failures that continue to characterize far too many major projects.”

Hillier also noted her disappointment that the government allowed APHA to fall into such a state of disrepair following the UK’s 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, that saw 6.5 million animals slaughtered.

The post Government ‘Failings’ Leave UK Vulnerable To Animal Disease Outbreak, Report Warns appeared first on Plant Based News.

The initiative is a collaboration between NYC mayor Eric Adams and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). All NYC-practicing healthcare professionals are eligible for the training to incorporate preventative lifestyle medicine into their care programs. 

Training will include access to more than five hours of self-paced online education. The course features modules dedicated to plant-based eating as both a preventative but also prescriptive tool. This will allow professionals to, where appropriate, suggest a switch to animal-free foods for potential health gains for their clients.

The program is thought to be the largest of its kind in the world. It actively promotes lifestyle medicine as a meaningful way to reduce the burden on the healthcare system. This, while also improving the lives of millions of patients.

“Treating the root cause of chronic disease in this country, and especially lifestyle-related chronic disease health disparities, will positively change the trajectory of both quality of life and health costs,” Dr. Cate Collings, a previous president of ACLM, said in a statement.

 “We applaud Mayor Adams and all the health care leaders in the city for recognizing what an impact they can make through this initiative.”

The program will initially see training offered at 20 NYC hospitals and treatment centers. However, up to 200,000 healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and others, will be offered the introduction to lifestyle medicine. 

Lifestyle medicine: prioritizing prevention over cures

Lifestyle medicine looks at how patients live in order to make meaningful changes that will improve health conditions. Hopefully, without the need for serious pharmaceutical or surgical intervention. 

In the US, more than half (60 percent) of adults are diagnosed with one chronic condition. These include diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. In 2019, it was estimated that treating chronic diseases cost the US upwards of $3.8 trillion a year. The figure is expected to double in years to come. Lifestyle medicine could therefore be a potential route to lessening the burden and driving down costs.

As a practice, lifestyle medicine prioritizes plant-based eating, exercise, effective sleep, stress management, and the avoidance of harmful substances. The latter includes not smoking or taking recreational drugs, and limiting alcohol intake.

New York City’s plant-based push

News of the new healthcare training plan comes shortly after Mayor Adams announced that all NYC hospitals are now serving vegan food as the default option.

“Our administration has invested in expanding lifestyle medicine programming and plant-based meals at NYC Health + Hospitals, and now, we’re bringing this evidence-based model to all of New York City’s health care workforce,” Adams said in a statement.

“Thanks to a massive $44 million investment from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, foundational training will be available for free to 200,000 healthcare workers in New York City. Once again, we’re setting the standard for the rest of the nation, giving practitioners new tools to combat chronic disease and health disparities, and investing in a healthier city for generations to come.” 

The post NYC Doctors To Receive Free Plant-Based Nutrition Training Under $44M Medicine Program appeared first on Plant Based News.

Sheenagh Neill, co-vice chair of Tasmanian Alliance for Marine Protection, said she found the information “buried deep in the subpages” of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) website.

The reports revealed that two large-scale salmon farms in southern Tasmania, Australia, used more than a ton of antibiotics to fight off a disease outbreak this year.

Huon Aquaculture and Tassal both fed their fish stocks antibiotic pellets. The move was a response to a vibrio anguillarum bacterial infection. The disease is highly contagious, passed orally, and carries a high mortality rate. 

The data comes from EPA reports filed by both farms. However, neither of the farms, nor the Tasmanian government, made any public announcements about the outbreak until months later.

Tassal’s report showed that it employed the antibiotic oxytetracycline, feeding 675 kilos of it to 15 salmon cages in January. Later in the same month, Huon Aquaculture used 400 kilos of trimethoprim, giving it to fish in 12 cages.

Environmental sampling of sediment, adjacent farm cages, and wild fish in the areas where the drugs were distributed found antibiotic levels far above the accepted norms. This applied to both farms.

“It is infuriating that the information about these big antibiotic dumps was buried and most likely deliberately so,” Neill said.

Antibiotic overuse and superbugs

Both oxytetracycline and trimethoprim are categorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “highly important” for human health. As a result, it has voiced concern that their overuse in food production, including fish farming, leaves humans vulnerable to infection from superbugs.

Superbugs — so called because they are resistant to even the strongest antibiotics — were discovered in UK pork this year. Fears that US beef will create them are also prevalent. Now, salmon appears to be joining the ranks of superbug breeding grounds.

It’s not the first time Tasmanian salmon farms have been connected to antibiotic overuse. In a report on antimicrobial resistance in meat bought at Australian supermarkets, World Animal Protection highlighted the scale of the problem. Monash University, which conducted sampling and testing on behalf of the animal welfare organization, found that up to 39 percent of 90 Tasmanian salmon samples showed signs of antibiotic resistance.

Alternatives to antibiotics in salmon farming

To combat the prolific reliance of antibiotics in food production, the WHO recommends a program of animal vaccinations. 

Vaccines against vibrio anguillarum for salmon have been available for more than 30 years. Certain parts of Tasmania already have a mandate in place to see all farmed salmon vaccinated against such diseases. However, Tassal and Huon are both located outside of such regions. This could be about to change though.

The Tasmanian government is in the process of finalizing updates for the domestic salmon industry. Additionally, Huon responded to the salmon antibiotics crisis by revealing that its fish stocks were not vaccinated but will be, moving forward. Tassal has yet to make a statement.

The post Pork, Beef, Salmon — ‘Buried’ Reports Tie Another Meat Product To Increased Superbug Risk appeared first on Plant Based News.

While a number of studies have found that plant-based diets are optimum, many people believe that eating meat is the best way to stay healthy. There are even some who abstain from eating anything other than animal products.

Keto refers to a high-fat diet with minimal carbohydrates. People following the “Carnivore Diet” will eat just meat, fish, and eggs, and occasionally a small amount of dairy. They won’t eat any plant-based foods at all.

Plant Based News – in collaboration with Vegan Linked – sat down with cardiologist Columbus D Batiste II M.D, who weighed into the debate surrounding high-meat diets. He also answered the age-old question – is a vegan diet safe for kids?

You can watch the full video below:

Check out Plant Based News’ YouTube channel for more videos like this.

The post WATCH: Cardiologist Weighs In On Keto, The Carnivore Diet, And Vegan Kids appeared first on Plant Based News.

Farms rearing and slaughtering cattle for some of the world’s largest meat firms – including Cargill, JBS, and Green Bay – have been named in unpublished US government records. The Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism unearthed the documents.

The meat companies supply major restaurant chains and food retailers including McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Walmart.

The antibiotics being administered to cattle include those considered the “highest priority” for human health. Also known as HP-CIAs, the drugs are used as the last treatment option in cases of serious human infection cases. 

During its data analysis, the Guardian found that HP-CIAs, and other medicines, were being used in a large proportion of the US beef supply chain. The drugs were discovered by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which operates as part of the US Department of Agriculture. 

Unnecessary use can render antibiotics less effective. This has prompted the World Health Organization to call for an immediate cessation of their routine prescription to livestock.

Increasing the risk of superbugs

In the US, farmers are permitted to use antibiotics for cattle when treating or preventing disease. 

The drugs must be prescribed by a licensed veterinarian, a move which was brought in to prevent misuse. Antibiotics were once used for faster growth but a ban on the practice came into effect in 2017. Prior to this, farmers were able to freely buy drugs over the counter, to add to animals’ food and water.

However, despite the ban being in full effect, US farmers are still using HP-CIA antibiotics for extended periods of time. Unearthed FSIS records show that in some cases, as many as seven HP-CIAs were found at cattle farms. This applied to locations supplying JBS and Green Bay. Meanwhile, Cargill’s suppliers are utilizing at least five strains of critical antibiotics.

As a result, experts fear that bacteria will build immunity to the drugs, putting human health in danger due to the enhanced risk of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

“The reckless overuse of medically important antibiotics on factory farms is a major contributor to this deadly public health threat,” vegan US Senator Cory Booker, said in a statement. 

“Giant agribusinesses have built a system that is dependent on this misuse of antibiotics to maximize their profits, with no regard to the serious harm they are causing.”

Booker has previously campaigned to limit the use of antibiotics in food production. He is also a prolific speaker on the topic of animal welfare within the agriculture sector.

The post New Investigation Links McDonald’s Beef To ‘Reckless Overuse’ Of Antibiotics appeared first on Plant Based News.

Apparently, after being an advocate of plant-based eating for years, he saw his health decline and his kidneys suffer.

In an interview with GQ Magazine in July, Grylls said: “I was a massive advocate of the vegan lifestyle for years, and wrote a book on it, but my health tanked on it. When I got COVID a couple of years ago, I doubled down on what I thought was healthy—raw juice, vegetables—and got mega-sore kidneys, almost kidney stones.

“The more research I’ve done, I’ve noticed raw vegetables are really not good for you. So I’ve started incorporating quality grass-fed steak and liver. My lunch is meat, eggs and dairy, a lot of butter, and fruit. I have liver probably every other day. I started to get strong again.”

A recent TV interview with Grylls led many papers to resurface the interview, sparking headlines that veganism “negatively” impacted his health.

So, does a vegan diet cause kidney stones? And is it preferable to include meat and dairy products for kidney health and overall health?

Let’s look at the facts.

Was Bear Grylls vegan? 

When Grylls talks about the vegan book he wrote, it seems he is referring to Fuel for Life, which he co-wrote with a nutritionist. The book advocates a dairy, wheat, and sugar-free diet, but also includes recipes for meat. In the book, Grylls stated that while adopting a more plant-based diet, he still ate what he called “honest meat” (unprocessed or factory-farmed). So, was Grylls ever in fact vegan? 

Given his statements, it’s likely Grylls was including plenty of animal protein in his supposed plant-based diet, which may have contributed to his “mega-sore kidneys.” However, it’s also possible other factors were behind the issue (we’ll get into this soon).

It’s not the first time a vegan diet and kidney stones has made headlines. Back in 2020, actor Liam Hemsworth blamed his plant-based diet for the condition, citing oxalates as the cause.

What are oxalates?

Oxalates are compounds in plants whose function is to bind excess calcium that the plant takes up in water through its root system. Oxalates accumulate in leaves, fruits, and seeds. When plants shed these, they get rid of excess calcium with the oxalate. However, this means that oxalates are present in some parts of plants that humans consume, such as green leafy vegetables. 

In humans, oxalates have no beneficial effect; they pass through the liver and kidneys and are excreted in the urine. When oxalates combine with calcium in the urine, they form calcium oxalate crystals. The crystals may become insoluble stones depending on other factors, such as how much citrate is present.  Doctors call these renal calculi or kidney stones. 

Only 50 percent of the normal daily urinary oxalate excretion is from food; the rest is due to the body’s own production as part of metabolism. 

Foods high in oxalates include: 

• Spinach
• Green cabbage
• Beets
• Nuts
• Tea
• Rhubarb
• Chocolate
• Whole grain cereals

Research suggests getting enough calcium in the diet protects against kidney stones. However, calcium supplements may not have the same effect or may increase oxalate formation. 

Meat and kidney health

A 2020 review stated that current scientific evidence agrees on the harmful effects of high meat and animal protein diets for kidney stones and the protective effect of fruits, vegetables, and vegetarian diets. The review suggests that animal protein — such as eggs, as well as poultry, fish and other meats — together with a low intake of alkaline plant foods, upsets mineral balance and is detrimental to kidney stone formers. The review also stresses the importance of adequate calcium and fluid intake.

The National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) recommends limiting animal protein for all types of kidney stones, including calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, and uric acid stones.

Furthermore, the National Kidney Foundation advises that eating whole grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables is one of the most important ways to keep kidneys healthy. Additionally, they state that a plant-based diet may benefit someone with early kidney disease or prevent it from occurring in the first place.

So it’s clear that scientific evidence and expert advice does not agree with Grylls and Hemsworth. In fact, following a meat-heavy diet that Grylls promotes may be a very real risk for kidney stone formation. 

Are some people more prone to kidney stones?

If diet was a factor in Grylls’ and Hemsworth’s kidney troubles, they may have been consuming too many oxalate-containing foods, such as spinach. (Hemsworth told Men’s Health that he was having five handfuls of spinach each morning in his smoothie.)

Some individuals are more susceptible to kidney stones, with studies suggesting there are environmental, dietary, hormonal, and genetic components. To date, scientists have identified 30 inherited genes that increase the risk of kidney stones. 

Therefore, limiting high oxalate foods may be a sensible approach for people susceptible to kidney stones, or those who’ve had them previously.  

The National Kidney Foundation advises people who form calcium oxalate stones to moderate their intake of foods such as spinach, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and rhubarb. However, it notes that cutting out oxalate foods from the diet alone is not a smart approach from an overall health perspective. Instead, they suggest eating calcium-rich foods with oxalate foods, making them more likely to bind together in the intestine before the kidneys process them. 

Removing oxalates from food

Additionally, people can reduce oxalates with cooking and preparation methods. For example, a 2020 review notes that boiling spinach reduces oxalates by 87 percent, and steaming it reduces them by 42 percent. Other vegan staples such as beans and chickpeas lose significant amounts of oxalates during canning, soaking, or boiling.

The review also explains that gut health and the microbiome may also play a part in oxalate absorption and potential kidney stones. It concludes that although some people seem more prone to kidney stones, for the rest of the population, eating calcium and potassium with oxalate foods and using cooking methods to destroy oxalates significantly minimizes health risks. Furthermore, oxalate foods possess many protective, beneficial compounds that may outweigh any possible adverse effects of oxalate.

Summary

Oxalates are natural compounds found in some foods that can be reduced by soaking, canning, or cooking. Eating too many high oxalate foods may contribute to kidney stones, particularly if someone is susceptible to them because of inherited genes or other factors.

Eliminating oxalate foods from the diet is not necessary for most people and risks missing out on the beneficial nutrients that foods such as green leafy vegetables, grains, and beans contain. Instead, ensuring that the diet is sufficient in calcium is a sensible approach, as this may help the body to process oxalates safely.

Experts recommend plant-based dietary approaches for kidney health and advise against consuming too much animal protein. Therefore, a vegan diet is safe for the kidneys and may benefit overall health. 

The post Bear Grylls Quit Veganism ‘For His Health’ – Can Plant-Based Diets Really Cause Kidney Stones? appeared first on Plant Based News.

The research was published in Dietary Science and Practice. It looked at the ways in which low-fat plant-based foods impact body weight and composition, as well as insulin sensitivity.

The 16-week study, conducted by Hana Kahleova and Neal D. Barnard, observed 244 overweight individuals assigned to either the intervention or control groups.

The intervention group was prescribed a low-fat vegan diet, with around 75 percent of energy coming from carbohydrates, 15 percent from protein, and 10 percent from fat. They were asked to avoid all animal products and added fats. And instead, prioritize fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes like beans, peas, and lentils. They were also instructed to take a daily vitamin B12 supplement. 

As part of the study, researchers monitored participants’ levels of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs).

AGEs are toxic compounds that are produced when protein or fat combines with glucose in the bloodstream. AGEs accumulate naturally as one ages, and the body is generally capable of eliminating them on its own. But high levels of AGEs can cause inflammation and impair the body’s ability to repair itself.

This can create the perfect conditions for certain chronic diseases, like diabetes, to take hold.

Study findings

Researchers recorded a 79 percent reduction in AGEs for the plant-based intervention group. 

Reduced meat intake was found to be responsible for 55 percent of the decrease. Meanwhile, dairy reduction accounted for 26 percent, and 15 percent came from a lowered fat intake.

A further breakdown of food types revealed that reduced white meat (like chicken or turkey) was most effective in reducing AGEs from meat. This alone accounted for 59 percent of the meat drop. Researchers said this was “surprising,” and attributed it to the quantity of the white meat being eaten. Processed meat followed in second place.

In contrast, the control group, which made no dietary changes at all, only saw around a 15 percent reduction of AGEs.

The decrease in AGEs was also connected to an average weight loss of 14 pounds experienced by participants in the intervention group. As individuals lost weight, their sensitivity to insulin improved. This then made them less likely to develop type 2 diabetes in future.

How diet affects diabetes

It is estimated that one in 10 people in the US are diabetic. 

Diets that are high in calories, cholesterol, and fat significantly increase the chances of people developing type 2 diabetes. Cholesterol is only found in animal products such as meat and dairy, alongside high levels of fat. As such, the potential of healthy plant-based eating as a preventative action or remedial prescription is being widely examined.

At the start of the year, a new study confirmed that diets high in fruit, vegetables, legumes, and nuts can significantly lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It followed similar findings from 2021 that demonstrated a reduced likelihood of not only diabetes, but also heart disease and stroke.

Reducing disease risk with plant-based diets

The latest research adds more weight to the growing number of studies and professional nutrition textbooks that suggest plant-based eating as a route to lessen chronic disease risk.

Earlier this year, a study revealed that animal-free foods could lower the chances of developing fatal prostate cancer by 19 percent. And, that such diets could be a preventative measure against ever contracting the condition.

It was also revealed, by Massachusetts’ Tufts University, that red meat can increase the risk of heart disease.

The post Low-Fat Vegan Diets Could Reduce Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes, New Study Finds appeared first on Plant Based News.

The British Poultry Council has described the costs to the industry as “potentially enormous.” Richard Griffiths, its chief executive, confirmed that 600,000 out of around 1.3 million free range birds have died. 

Griffiths spoke to MPs at the UK parliamentary committee on the environment, food, and rural affairs. He said that around 36 percent of poultry farms in the UK were covered by a form of control, regardless of whether they’ve been affected. 

Also at the committee was turkey hatchery owner Paul Kelly, who said that there will be a “big, big shortage of British free range turkeys on the shelves this year.”

As reported by the Evening Standard, he added: “The challenge for a lot of the smaller seasonal producers that produce Christmas poultry is they have their Christmas flock on their farm and when the turkeys are infected they all die within four days.

“To give you an example, we had one farmer with 9,500 [birds]. The first infection was on Thursday evening, 20 mortality, and by Monday lunchtime they were all dead.”

The ‘worst bird flu outbreak of all time’

The UK is currently experiencing what’s been dubbed the worst outbreak of avian flu ever. While the disease usually dies down in the summer months, it continued this year. Experts have warned that it will likely get worse this winter.

Around 10 million turkeys are killed each year for Christmas, but an estimated one million of these have died or been culled.

The disease is having a serious effect on other farmed poultry, including chickens. In total, it’s thought that more than 5.5 million birds have died in the UK since October of last year. 

Wild birds have also been impacted by the spread. Last month, it was reported that a number of swans were found dead in a river in Suffolk. It is alleged that they died of the illness. 

A growing threat

It’s not just the UK that’s experiencing unprecedented levels of bird flu. The United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, South Korea, Poland, the Netherlands, and Mexico are all seeing similar outbreaks. 

This week, it was reported that avian flu has led to the deaths of a record-breaking 50.4 million birds in the US alone. Due to the rise in intensive farming, some birds are being housed with over a million others, leading to a rapid spread of the disease. 

While much of the public and UK media is focused on the potential shortage of “Christmas turkeys,” there are more serious concerns being brought about by this outbreak. 

Bird flu has been identified as a pandemic risk. While the current virus doesn’t easily spread in humans, scientists have warned that it could mutate. 

“Influenza A viruses circulating among poultry have the potential to recombine with human influenza A viruses and become more transmissible among humans,” said a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report earlier this year. 

“If HPAI Asian H5N1 viruses gain the ability for efficient and sustained transmission among humans, an influenza pandemic could result, with potentially high rates of illness and death worldwide.”

The post Half Of The UK’s ‘Free Range’ Turkeys Have Been Culled Or Died From Bird Flu appeared first on Plant Based News.

The study was commissioned by plant-based pet food brand Omni, and was published in the peer-reviewed journal Archives of Clinical and Biomedical Research.

It looked at 100 dogs over the course of 12 months. People with dogs registered with Omni were asked to fill out surveys on their dog’s health and appetites. 

It found that 90 percent of dogs who had previously suffered from GI issues had better stool consistency when they switched to a plant-based diet. It also found that 70 percent of those with dandruff saw an improvement in the condition.

What’s more, a number of people reported less anxiety in their companion animals. Around a quarter saw signs of their dogs’ aggression decrease. And over half said that their dog’s fur appeared to be more glossy.

The study’s authors said that, while promising, the results should be confirmed by more extensive studies with more animals. Relying on self-report data was also a study limitation.

Can dogs be vegan?

Whether or not we should feed dogs plant-based diets is a hugely contentious issue. This often rests on the widespread belief that they are carnivores. (This is not the case; domestic dogs, like humans, are omnivores).

However, a growing body of science indicates that vegan pet food is not only acceptable, but preferable to conventional dog food in many cases.

Earlier this year, the largest study ever conducted on dog diets found that plant-based eating was both healthier and safer.

The study, published in the Guardian, looked at the health of more than 2,500 companion dogs. It found that those following vegan diets had fewer health problems than those who ate conventional meat food.

Plant-based dogs also had fewer vet visits. 

Further, only a third of vegan dogs required non-routine medication, compared to almost half of meat-eaters.

What’s the issue with conventional dog food?

Commercial meat-based dog food comes with a host of health risks. It’s often made with meat deemed unfit for human consumption. This includes the “4Ds,” referring to meat from dead, dying, diseased, and disabled animals.

Plastic and other trash has also been found in meaty dog food, in addition to traces of euthanasia.

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They raised the issue to him in a letter. At the center of the complaint is a perceived supply chain monopoly by the US dairy sector. Items are supplied to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), many of whom suffer from a degree of lactose intolerance.

The letter, sent to Secretary Vilsack in mid-October, asks that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide soy milk to support the dietary needs of all children. It underscores this demand by reiterating that the cow’s milk-centric school program “is delivering detrimental impacts on BIPOC school children.”

What is dietary racism?

Dietary racism refers to a food system that prioritizes and promotes the consumption of foods that will adversely impact non-white communities. Dairy and its impact on those with lactose intolerance is of particular concern in the US.

Digestive reactions to lactose, the sugar found in dairy, often take the form of abdominal discomfort and excess gas. They can also include vomiting and diarrhea.

It is currently estimated that at least 75 percent of Black and Latinx populations are lactose intolerant. In addition, around 95 percent of Asian communities and more than 80 percent of Indigenous Americans have the condition.

Despite these figures, the NSLP operates in a way that financially penalizes schools for providing safe alternatives to cow’s milk. Signees of the letter to Secretary Vilsack call this a “textbook example of dietary racism.”

As it stands, the NSLP reimburses schools 20.5 cents for every serving of cows milk given with on-site meals. This equated to a total governmental spend of more than $2.1 billion on school milk in 2019. However, a USDA investigation revealed that schools throw away 29 percent of milk cartons unopened. This equates to $300 million in food waste every year.

US Dietary Guidelines recognize fortified soy alternatives as nutritionally equivalent to dairy. Despite this, institutions are not reimbursed for supplying them.  

Protecting children’s health

All 31 signees of the letter to Secretary Vilsack are members of the Democratic political party, with Louisiana’s Troy Carter leading the charge.

“The reality is, millions of kids across America’s schools are given milk on their lunch trays that will make them feel sick, or that will immediately be discarded,” he said in a statement. 

“It’s time that our school lunches reflect the reality that many of our children, including the majority of Black, Asian and Hispanic kids, are lactose intolerant. By providing a nutritionally equivalent substitute such as soy milk, we can help keep our kids healthier, full, and decrease food waste.”

Supporting the efforts of the letter is the Center for a Humane Economy. This nonprofit encourages big corporations to act ethically for widespread fiscal stability. It notes that the NSLP was founded on the principle of supplying healthy and nutritious food to children.

It claims that the program’s platform is being used to maximize opportunities for Big Dairy (the industrial dairy sector). This is regardless of how sick children can get. A number of experts have discredited national campaigns featuring slogans like “milk does a body good.”

Support for the letter

Also supporting the letter’s ambitions is Switch4Good. Led by former US Olympian Dotsie Bausch, the nonprofit aims to cut through apparently disingenuous narratives offered by Big Dairy. It also calls for a fair food system for all.

“I applaud congress for seeking to rectify what is one of the most egregious examples of racial inequity in nutritional policy,” Bausch said in a statement. 

“Advocates for food justice have been asking for these simple shifts, such as a proportional reimbursement to schools for soy milk, to give children of color a fair start in school and set up a lifetime of healthy choices.”

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The committee maintains that reducing meat consumption is beneficial for both human health and the planet.  

“The adoption by the Spanish population of a varied and balanced diet pattern characterised mainly by a greater predominance of foods of plant origin and a lower presence of foods of animal origin, in line with the Mediterranean diet pattern, can improve the state of health and well-being, while reducing the environmental impact of the food system,” a statement from ASEAN reads.

Rich countries must cut down on meat

The committee’s statement is backed up by a growing body of research that suggests a diet high in plant-based whole foods is beneficial for health, while many meat products are linked with a higher risk of disease. 

Processed meat, for example, is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Red meat is Group 2. 

Animal agriculture is also a significant contributor to the climate crisis. It’s linked with a number of environmental issues, including deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. Some research suggests that the meat industry alone accounts for nearly 60 percent of all emissions from food production.

In April, a study from Germany’s University of Bonn stated that rich countries must drop their meat consumption by at least 75 percent for the sake of the planet. 

Meat is popular across Europe, but the Spanish population is particularly fond of animal products. In fact, Spain eats more meat than any other country in the European Union. 

But the country is far from alone. China, the US, and Australia top the list of the countries that eat the most meat. And animal products are also a staple of many British diets. That’s why Alliance is now calling for the UK to follow Spain’s lead, and introduce its own new guidelines encouraging people to cut down on meat.

The organization’s CEO Marisa Health said: “This represents a welcome breakthrough in Spain in the approach to dietary recommendations and the UK should look to follow suit. There is an urgent need to shift to a more plant-based diet for health reasons but also because our failure to do so leads us closer to ecosystem collapse.” 

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Recent headlines interpreted the research in a simplistic way which may be misleading and give the wrong message about what to eat for health. 

This article delves into the study and explores what it means, why nutrition research is complicated, and why you shouldn’t take headlines at face value. In addition, it looks at the evidence for the health benefits of more plant-based food and less meat in the diet. 

What did the headlines say?

Some headlines told steak-lovers the “good news” – that unprocessed red meat will not raise their risk of stroke. They pointed out that for decades there have been fears that consuming lots of steak and pork can increase the risk of heart disease due to their high fat levels. But the new study found no evidence of this link. Other news sources interpreted the research with the headline “red meat is good for you after all.”

However, these articles completely miss the point. The study team is eager to explain that their findings serve as a basis for future research, having identified areas where scientists need to know more.

In addition, some experts expressed concern with the over-simplification of a star rating system and how people may interpret it. 

What did the research say?

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine published the findings in Nature Medicine. They used Burden of Proof Studies as a new way of reviewing and evaluating evidence about the risks that certain lifestyles or dietary aspects pose to health. 

The burden of proof risk function (BPRF) complements existing systems such as GRADE, which researchers use to rate the quality of evidence. The BPRF converts risks into a star rating, with one star reflecting no true association. Five stars supports a very strong association of harmful or protective factors.

Using the BPRF tool, the researchers indicated very strong associations between lung cancer and smoking. They also found strong links between high blood pressure and ischemic heart disease. However, one study found that the association between unprocessed red meat and increased risk of ischemic stroke was only one star (suggesting no evidence). Furthermore, the evidence for vegetable consumption and ischemic heart disease and stroke was classified as two and three-star pairings, respectively. 

What does this mean?

So does this mean people should carry on eating red meat and not be so worried about including plenty of vegetables if they want to look after their cardiovascular health?

In a nutshell, no. 

Firstly, while nutrition evidence has the potential to improve the populations’ health and lower their risk of diseases, it is well-accepted that it’s a complicated area of research. Studies have methodological limitations, including bias, confounding variables, and study design. People are also complex and may react differently to food based on their health status, genes, or other factors. In addition, many studies use self-report data. This means they rely on participants to remember what, how much, and what type of food they ate. And, how they cooked it, which can change the food’s nutrient profile. 

A review of the burden of proof studies notes that scientists should know what people who reduce red meat replace it with. For example, if study participants replaced red meat with processed foods high in sugar or fat, this may not lead to a decreased risk of chronic disease. 

Alice H. Lichtenstein D.Sc., FAHA, is a senior scientist and director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Team at Tufts University in Boston. She is also the chair of the scientific statement writing group for the recent American Heart Association (AHA) dietary statement. Speaking about the new research, Lichtenstein said to Plant Based News: “Focusing on changing a single food or category of foods without taking the replacement item into consideration is not consistent with the concept of dietary patterns and can lead to misleading conclusions.”

A misleading approach

Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics at The Open University, spoke to Science Media Centre about the BPRF studies. He expressed concern about what’s being lost in the process of boiling down the complexity of all the original studies to a five-star system.

Importantly, the goal of the Burden of Proof Studies was to help the public understand which relationships might stay as they are and which may change with future research. The link between smoking and lung cancer is well-researched and is unlikely to change from a five-star rating.

However, researcher Dr. Christopher Murray, author of the papers, said in a press briefing, “for one-star and two-star relationships, the public and scientific community should not at all be surprised if future work changes our understanding because the evidence for those is comparatively weak.”

Thus, just because the current evidence does not support a strong link between unprocessed red meat and stroke, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t one. “We should not be at all surprised if future studies change our understanding of the risks associated with red meat,” said Dr. Murray.

So is red meat healthy or not?

The reason the new Burden of Proof studies made misleading headlines is because, for many years, experts have advised that saturated fat from red meat may cause high cholesterol and narrowing of the arteries. This, in turn, can cause ischemic heart disease and stroke. 

Previous research, including extensive studies, has indicated the severe health risks of red meat. 

For example, a 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis examined the relative risk of meat consumption and stroke using 23 studies. The researchers found that the risk of developing stroke was 1.18 for total meat. And, 1.11 for red meat, and 1.17 for processed meat. Risk ratio figures over one mean that there is an increased risk compared to the control group. 

Another 2021 study linked dietary saturated fat from red meat and butter to a higher incidence of coronary heart disease. 

The AHA cites a 26-year observational study that suggests that replacing animal protein with plant protein could influence longevity. In fact, it found that swapping just five percent of daily calories from animal protein with equivalent calories from plant protein was linked to a nearly 50 percent decrease in the risk of dying of any cause. This includes coronary heart disease.

The study design had limitations, as many studies do. Nevertheless, the AHA recommends limiting saturated fat from meat and dairy to lower the risk of heart disease. In addition, the British Heart Foundation advises people to eat less red meat to avoid heart disease and bowel cancer. 

Can you be healthy without eating meat?

Red meat contains nutrients such as protein, iron, and vitamin B12. And some cardiologists and nutritionists advise that eating organic grass-fed red meat in moderation is healthy. However, vegans can obtain the same nutrients from plant-based food and supplementation. 

Established mechanisms suggest that meat raises the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. And, that vegetables lower blood pressure and protect against stroke and heart disease. Healthy plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of dying from any cause, including heart disease. 

Considering the abuse of animals and the effects on the environment of meat and dairy production, plus the health risks, why would you choose to eat meat other than purely for taste? And is this a good enough reason to counterbalance the negative effects? 

In a review of the Proof of Burden Studies, author Tammy Y. N. Tong said the potential environmental benefits of reducing meat and increasing plant food consumption are substantial. And, that future evaluations of dietary guidelines should consider environmental and societal impacts, as well as health.

She told Plant Based News: “The main take-home message is that we should still maintain our current dietary guidelines to limit red meat and increase vegetable intake.”

The post New Research Has Major Outlets Claiming That Red Meat Is Good For You – We Took A Closer Look appeared first on Plant Based News.

The meat, which has already been served by East Lancashire Hospital Trust, is made from animals killed in the nearby Forest of Bowland and Grizedale. Around 20 other hospitals are set to follow suit, with plans to offer the dish to their patients before the end of the year. 

Consumption of wild deer is often justified on the ground that they are “culled” to keep their populations down and protect farmland and vegetation. This is because the UK no longer has wolves to hunt them. But animal rights groups have blasted the notion of the meat being in any way “ethical.”

“The concept of ‘culling’ an animal is absurd: animals have just as much right as we do to roam the land,” Rory Cockshaw, campaigner at Viva!, told Plant Based News (PBN). “Deer are intelligent animals that learn how to adapt to survive in their natural environment – unless their lives are cruelly cut short by humans.”

PETA’s Director of Vegan Corporate Projects, Dawn Carr, added: “No animal – whether a gentle deer killed under the guise of a ‘cull’ or a pig or cow hung up and shot with a bolt gun – wants to die to be served up in a stew or as a sandwich filler.”

Campaigns to phase out meat in hospitals

As well as blasting the ethics of the dish, the organizations have questioned the NHS’ decision to serve any meat at all. This, they say, is because animal product consumption has been linked to increased risk of illnesses, like heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

“Serving [meat] in hospitals must be phased out immediately,” said Carr. “It’s like giving out cigarettes at a lung cancer benefit.”

“It is shocking that the NHS is still serving meat to patients who are in hospital with the sole purpose of getting better,” added Cockshaw. 

He also pointed out that public hospitals in New York recently adopted a plant-based menu to “promote healthy eating habits and encourage recovery.” 

Earlier this month, it was announced that all 11 public hospitals in NYC would serve plant-based food “by default.” The initiative got off to a successful start, with 60 percent of patients choosing the dishes, and 95 percent saying they were happy with their choice. 

Cockshaw is calling on the UK to follow suit. “I would like to see the NHS backtrack on this decision and make a move towards serving patients vegan food,” he told PBN. “Foods such as tofu, pulses, beans, nuts, and vegetables are all high in protein and packed full of vitamins to help patients recover from illness.” 

This isn’t the first time the NHS has been urged to stop serving meat. In May of this year, a coalition of doctors in Scotland wrote an open letter stating that plant-based meals would “help NHS Scotland improve patient recovery, reduce costs, prevent animal suffering, and meet its commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions.”

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