Dr Greger Conference

On January 15th, 2016, I attended a lecture given by Dr. Greger, organized by the Vegetarian Association of Montreal. I had high expectations because Dr. Greger is specialized to popularize all nutrition studies and to summarized them on its website: nutritionfacts.org. All information and videos on the site are free and easily accessible. Dr. Greger is convinced of the benefits of a vegan diet to overcome all chronic diseases (diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, etc.).

I become a bit disenchanted when he decried the harmful role of eggs to increase the cholesterol levels and I saw that the cited studies dated from 1987-1998… We can not throw the baby with the bathwater, because more recent studies specify that egg also contains nutrients such as B12, vitamin D, riboflavin and folate, found in some other foods and that are necessary to our health. Recent studies show that for most people, dietary cholesterol does not increase as much blood cholesterol. Earlier studies have tested egg cholesterol on herbivores rabbits … It does not mean to eat eggs every day, but I do not think we should demonize it.

Sugar and sweeteners can be demonized because all the studies point in the same direction. It is very easy to say what you want to study and pick the ones that go in the desired direction. Informing people is paramount and I appreciate the good will of Dr. Greger to convince people that eating is as bad as smoking, but does a vegan diet is the solution for all? Probably for some individuals (whether for ideological or health reasons), but for my part, I think it is more important to demonize processed foods filled with sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, which are the leading cause of chronic disease. Yes to a diet based on vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, but also lean organic meat and wild fatty fish.

I will still go buy his latest book “How not to die”, released in December 2015, as there is good to be found in everything!

References:

 –Eggs and Heart Disease
–Are chicken eggs good or bad for my cholesterol?
–Why you shouldn’t worry about the massive amount of cholesterol in eggs