Death by Veganism - the other side of the story

[Guest guest]

Here is the letter to the editor sent yesterday to the New York Times

by Dr. John McDougall in response to Nina Planck's article. I hope

it is published, but in case not, you can read it here.

---------------------

 

Nina Planck's article condemning vegan diet contains serious errors

concerning the adequacy of plant foods. Plants do contain all the

essential amino acids in adequate quantities to meet human needs, and

even those of children (Millward). Vitamin D is not found in milk or

meat, unless it is added during manufacturing. Sunlight is the proper

source of this vitamin. Plants manufacture beta-carotene, the

precursor of vitamin A. The original source of all minerals

(including calcium and zinc) is the ground. Plants are abundant in

minerals; and they act as the conduit of minerals to animals. The

scientific truth is protein, essential amino acid, mineral, and

vitamin (except for B12 which is synthesized by bacteria, not

animals) deficiencies are never caused by a diet based on whole plant

foods when calorie needs are met. Ms. Planck's distortion of

nutritional science is a serious matter that needs to be fixed.

 

Reference: Millward DJ. The nutritional value of plant-based diets

in relation to human amino acid and protein requirements. Proc Nutr

Soc. 1999 May;58(2):249-60.

 

Addition comments not sent to the newspaper.

 

Nina Planck writes: " You cannot create and nourish a robust baby

merely on foods from plants. "

 

The scientific truth is: Babies at 6 weeks of age require human

breast milk and any other diet means malnutrition. Imagine if the

exact opposite approach killed an infant with a formula made of

pulverized beef and cow's milk, would this have received similar

worldwide press? I believe the case would have been properly

considered child neglect (intentional or not) and have gone unnoticed

except for those intimately involved. " People love to hear good news

about their bad habits " so the tragedy of the death of an infant

caused by misguided parents who fed their infant apple juice and soy

milk for the first 6 weeks of life has been used to justify eating

meat and drinking cow's milk.

 

Nina Planck writes: Protein deficiency is one danger of a vegan diet

for babies. Nutritionists used to speak of proteins as " first class "

(from meat, fish, eggs and milk) and " second class " (from plants),

but today this is considered denigrating to vegetarians.

 

The scientific truth is: Confusion about our protein needs came from

studies of the nutritional needs of animals. Mendel and Osborne in

1913 reported rats grew better on animal, than on vegetable, sources

of protein. A direct consequence of their studies resulted in meat,

eggs, and dairy foods being classified as superior, or " Class A "

protein sources and vegetable proteins designated as inferior,

or " Class B " proteins. Seems no one considered that rats are not

people. One obvious difference in their nutritional needs is rat

milk is 11 times more concentrated in protein than is human breast

milk. The extra protein supports this animal's rapid growth to adult

size in 5 months; while humans take 17 years to fully mature. The

world's authority on human protein needs, Prof. Joseph Millward,

wrote the following: " Contrary to general opinion, the distinction

between dietary protein sources in terms of the nutritional

superiority of animal over plant proteins is much more difficult to

demonstrate and less relevant in human nutrition. " (References in my

April 2007 newsletter.)

 

Nina Planck writes: The fact remains, though, that humans prefer

animal proteins and fats to cereals and tubers, because they contain

all the essential amino acids needed for life in the right ratio.

This is not true of plant proteins, which are inferior in quantity

and quality — even soy.

 

The scientific truth is: Proteins function as structural materials

which build the scaffoldings that maintain cell shapes, enzymes which

catalyze biochemical reactions, and hormones which signal messages

between cells—to name only a few of their vital roles. Since plants

are made up of structurally sound cells with enzymes and hormones,

they are by nature rich sources of proteins. In fact, so rich are

plants that they can meet the protein needs of the earth's largest

animals: elephants, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and cows. You would be

correct to deduce that the protein needs of relatively small humans

can easily be met by plants. (References in my April 2007

newsletter.)

 

Nina Planck writes: Yet even a breast-fed baby is at risk. Studies

show that vegan breast milk lacks enough docosahexaenoic acid, or

DHA, the omega-3 fat found in fatty fish.

 

The scientific truth is: Only plants can synthesize essential fats.

Any DHA found in animals had its origin from a plant (as alpha

linolenic acid). The human body has no difficulty converting plant-

derived omega-3 fat, alpha linolenic acid, into DHA or other n-3

fatty acids, supplying our needs even during gestation and infancy.

 

Reference: Langdon JH. Has an aquatic diet been necessary for

hominin brain evolution and functional development? Br J Nutr. 2006

Jul;96(1):7-17.

 

Mothers who eat the Western diet pass dangerous loads of

environmental contaminants through their breast milk to their

infants. Meat, dairy and fish in her diet are the source of 80% to

90% of these toxic chemicals. The cleanest and healthiest milk is

made by mothers eating a starch-based vegan diet.

 

Nina Planck writes: A vegan diet is equally dangerous for weaned

babies and toddlers, who need plenty of protein and calcium.

 

The scientific truth is: Infants should be exclusively breast fed

until age 6 months and then partially breast fed until approximately

2 years of age. Starches, fruits, and vegetables should be added

after the age of 6 months. The addition of cow's milk causes problems

as common as constipation and as devastating as type-1 diabetes. (See

my May 2003 newsletter on Marketing Milk and Disease.) Adding meat

to an infant's diet is one of the main reasons all children raised on

the Western diet have the beginnings of atherosclerosis by the age of

2 years.

 

Nina Planck writes: " An adult who was well-nourished in utero and in

infancy may choose to get by on a vegan diet, but babies are built

from protein, calcium, cholesterol and fish oil. "

 

The scientific truth is: Babies are ideally built from mother's

breast milk initially and then from whole foods. Hopefully, parents

will realize that the healthiest diet for the entire family (after

weaning) is based on starches with the addition of fruits and

vegetables. (Vitamin B12 is added to the diet of pregnant or nursing

mothers and after 3 years of following a plant-based diet strictly.)

 

Nina Planck has been allowed by the New York Times to exploit the

tragedy of a family and to spread commonly held, but scientifically

incorrect, information on human nutrition. The author and the

newspaper should be held accountable. Hopefully, the end result will

be that people desiring the truth will take the trouble to look at

the evidence. If this were to be the case, then this New York Times

article could be the beginning of long overdue changes in the ways

people eat. Write and tell everyone you know that the New York Times

has done a sloppy job, and damage to the public, by allowing harmful

lies to be spread—especially when you consider that Planck's message

promotes a diet known to cause obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart

disease, and major cancers.

 

John McDougall, MD

http://www.drmcdougall.com/

May 21, 2007