Review: Forks Over Knives

    In our efforts to save money,  my husband and I discovered that Netflix is much cheaper than cable.  Therefore I have enjoyed surfing the site and finding new and interesting thing to watch.  Some time ago I found several documentaries about health that I deserve sharing.  In this first review, I will discuss 'Forks Over Knives'.
    Released in 2011, 'Forks Over Knives' focuses on the research of two doctors; Dr. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.  These two doctors independently came to the same conclusion regarding health.  The best way to avoid or even treat deadly diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer is through a whole foods plant based diet.
    Dr. Campbell came to this conclusion through his research.  While working in the Philippines in the late 1960's, he noticed that there was a high rate of liver cancer among the children of affluent families but not poor families.  (Liver cancer is typically found in adults.)  Genetically they were the same, but the affluent families ate a lot of meat which the poor families could not afford.  He hypothesized that there could be a connection.  Then he found an article from a little known Indian medical journal about a study done on mice.  Researchers took two groups of mice.  They fed one group a diet of 20% animal protein and the second group a diet of 5% animal protein.  The group with 20% animal protein began developing tumors while the group with 5% animal protein did not.  Dr. Campbell was intrigued by this and replicated the experiment with the same results.  He also discovered that by switching the diet from 20% protein back to 5% protein he could halt the growth of the tumors.  When he tried the experiment with plant based protein he did not get the same result.  Later, in the 1980's Dr. Campbell along with Dr. Junshi Chen started the famous China Study, a comprehensive study of why some populations in China have a higher rate of cancer deaths than others.  After many years of work, they discovered that the areas which ate more meat developed more cancer.  He concluded from all this research that a whole foods plant based diet could prevent or perhaps even halt cancer.
    Dr. Esselstyn began his medical career as a surgeon specializing in breast cancer.  He eventually became head of the Breast Cancer Task Force at the Cleveland Clinic.  He became frustrated that while they treated the disease, they did little to prevent people from getting it in the first place.  He started researching breast cancer around the world and found some startling facts.  He found that in 1958 the number of prostate cancer deaths in the entire nation of Japan was 18 but 14,000 in the US.  And in Norway in 1939, the number of  deaths from heart attacks plummeted when the Nazis came and confiscated the live stock.  But when they left in 1945, and the Norwegians returned to a diet with more animal protein heart attacks rose again.  Dr Esselstyn wanted to study his theory.  Unable to do the study on breast cancer victims, he decided to focus on patients with heart disease.  He requested and was given 24 patients with coronary artery disease, however the patients he was given were even sicker than he imagined.  One woman was told by her doctor to basically go home and wait for death.  Many had failed their bypass operations.  Dr. Esselstyn had his patients eat a whole foods plant based diet.   Of the patients that stayed with the program, none had any further progression of heart disease and most showed evidence of reversal.
   This is a small sample of the information in this documentary.  After viewing it, my husband and I decided to give a whole foods plant based diet a try.  I will write more on that in the future.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
        Do you think you would try a whole foods plant based (vegan) diet a try?