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Michael Greger
40 quotes
“[Compared to cow's milk] is only deficient in blood pus, antibiotics, artery-clogging fat, and cholesterol.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Jeffrey M. Masson, The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food (Norton & Company, 2009), p. 194.
“A plant-based diet is like a one-stop shop against chronic diseases.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in James E. McWilliams, "The Evidence for a Vegan Diet", in The Atlantic (18 January 2012).
“By age 10, nearly all kids have fatty streaks in their arteries. This is the first sign of atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death in the United States. So the question for most of us is not whether we should eat healthy to prevent heart disease, but whether we want to reverse the heart disease we may already have.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Heart Disease Starts in Childhood", in NutritionFacts.org (23 September 2013).
“We can actually change the expression of genes—tumor suppressing genes, tumor activating genes—by what we eat, what we put into our bodies. So, even if you've been dealt a bad genetic deck, you can still reshuffle it with diet.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview in the documentary-film What the Health by Kip Andersen (2017).
“When you're treating diseases with drugs, you know there's one drug you take for cholesterol, a different class of drugs you take for high blood pressure, different class of drugs you take for diabetes, but, with diet, a plant-based diet affects all these diseases. One diet to kinda rule them all.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview in the documentary-film What the Health by Kip Andersen (2017).
“People with a family history of disease often throw up their hands: ‘I've got bad genes.’ No, these are the people who have to eat exquisitely healthy. Bad diets often run in families. You eat how you were taught to eat. For most Americans, that's not good news. But we can regain our health—by eating the plant-based diets of populations that don't suffer from these diseases.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview in the book What the Health by Eunice Wong (Xlibris, 2017), ch. 1.
“Approximately 80 percent of protracted disease and premature death may be attributable to choices each one of us makes on a day-to-day basis. We're still eating ourselves into early graves. The vast majority of premature death and disability is preventable with a healthy enough diet and lifestyle. We can take personal responsibility for our own health.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger (with Gene Stone), How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease (2025 Tenth Anniversary Edition). From the Author's Note by Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM, at pages…
“The pandemic of chronic disease has been ascribed in part to the near-universal shift toward a diet dominated by animal-sourced and processed foods—in other words, more meat, dairy, eggs, oils, fizzy drinks, sugar, and refined grains.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Introduction, at p.5.
“That one unifying diet that's been found to best prevent and treat many of these chronic diseases is a whole-food, plant-based diet, defined as an eating pattern that encourages the consumption of unrefined plant foods and discourages meats, dairy products, eggs, and processed foods.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Introduction, at p.10-11.
“Most doctor visits are for lifestyle-based diseases, which means they're preventable diseases. Treating the cause is not only safer and cheaper, but it can work better. Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity. Most of our leading causes of death and disability are more preventable than inevitable.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Introduction, at p.11. 12. 13.
“A healthy diet can reduce stroke risk by reducing cholesterol and blood pressure while improving blood flow and antioxidant capacity. High fiber intake may also help ward off stroke. High-fiber diets may also lower blood pressure, which reduces the risk of brain bleeds.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 3 (How Not to Die from Brain Diseases), at p.54. 55.
“[Text in the previous, 2015 Edition: Aging and disease have been thought of as the oxidation of the body. You can slow down this oxidant process by eating foods containing lots of antioxidants.] One of the diseases antioxidant-rich foods may help prevent is stroke. Strive to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices at every meal. This way, we can continuously flood our body with antioxidants to potentially help ward off stroke and other age-related diseases.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 3 (How Not to Die from Brain Diseases), at p.60. 61. (The italicized portion of text above is from p.55, 56 of the previous 2015 Edition, but omitted from t…
“The Global Burden of Disease Study noted which foods, if added to the diet, might save lives. More nuts and seeds? 600,000 lives. How about vegetables? 860,000 lives. More whole grains. An incredible 1.6 million lives a year. Fruits. Worldwide, if humanity ate more fruits, we might save an estimated 1.7 million lives.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 5 (How Not to Die from High Blood Pressure), at p.102.
“A blood pressure checkup is easy to ignore or postpone. The insidious consequences of hypertension may not be apparent until we're lifted into an ambulance or lowered into a grave. Go to your local pharmacy, or doctor's office, and get your blood pressure checked.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 5 (How Not to Die from High Blood Pressure), at p.124.
“Humans evolved eating huge amounts of fiber, likely in excess of one hundred grams a day. That's up to about ten times what the average person eats today. Our bodies were designed to expect an ever-flowing fiber stream, so it dumps such unwanted waste products as excess cholesterol and estrogen into the intestines, assuming they will be swept away. Only 6 percent of Americans may even reach the recommended minimum daily intake of fiber.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 6 (How Not to Die from Digestive Cancers), at p.143.
“About eighty thousand Americans die of liver disease every year. The most common causes are drink and food: alcoholic liver disease and fatty liver disease. The best strategy to avoid alcoholic liver disease is to not drink so much in the first place. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, recently renamed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), starts with a buildup of fat deposits in the liver that cause no symptoms. Our best bet for avoiding MASLD, the most common cause of liver disease, may be to avoid excess calories, sugar, saturated fat, and cholesterol.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 8 (How Not to Die from Liver Diseases), at p.171. 172. 173. 174. 175.
“The turmeric spice component curcumin, a simple spice found in the supermarket, might have the ability to slow or stop multiple myeloma in a percentage of patients. It couldn't hurt to spice up our diet.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 9 (How Not to Die from Blood Cancers), at p.189.
“Artificially sweetened beverage consumption [of fizzy drinks ] is associated with leukemia, so we should eliminate fizzy drinks from our diets for this reason—and many others.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 9 (How Not to Die from Blood Cancers), at p.194.
“Higher intake of meat in general—whether red meat, white meat, processed, or unprocessed—is also associated with an increased risk of death from all causes put together. If the whole world cut out meat, we'd save an estimated seven million lives a year. If humanity cut out all animal-sourced foods, we might save eight million lives annually.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 10 (How Not to Die from Kidney Disease), at p.201.
“Eating a plant-based diet to alkalinize our urine may also help prevent and treat kidney stones—hard mineral deposits that can form in our kidneys. When urine is more alkaline, stones are less likely to form. This helps explain why less meat and more fruits and vegetables appear so protective. The standard American diet yields acidic urine. When people are placed on a plant-based diet, however, their urine can be alkalinized up to a near neutral pH in less than a week.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 10 (How Not to Die from Kidney Disease), at p.202. 204.
“Having too much phosphorus in the blood may increase the risk of kidney failure, heart failure, heart attacks, and premature death. Phosphorus is found in a variety of plant and animal foods. By switching to a plant-based diet, we can achieve a significant drop in our blood phosphorus levels even as our intake levels of the mineral remains constant. This occurs because the phosphorus in animal foods appears in the form of a compound called phosphate, which is absorbed into the bloodstream more readily than phytate, the predominant form of phosphorus in plant foods.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 10 (How Not to Die from Kidney Disease), at p. 206.
“Although fresh meat contains nitrosamines, processed or cured meats like bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and lunch meat may be particularly harmful. Processed meat has been officially classified as a known human carcinogen. Each fifty grams a day of processed meat intake is associated with an 18 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer. In response, global nutrition and health organizations have flat out recommended avoiding processed meats. Intake of both nitrate and nitrite from processed meats has been linked to kidney cancer.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 10 (How Not to Die from Kidney Disease), at p. 209. 210. 211.
“We've known for decades that even a single workout can elevate mood and that physical activity is associated with decreased symptoms of depression. For example, one study of nearly five thousand people across the United States found that people who exercised regularly had 25 percent lower odds of a major depression diagnosis.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 11 (How Not to Die from Suicidal Depression), at p. 223.
“The blood of men on the standard American diet slowed down the rate of prostate cancer cell growth by 9 percent. Place men on a plant-based diet for a year, though, and the blood circulating within their bodies can suppress cancer cell growth by 70 percent—that's nearly eight times the stopping power compared to a meat-centered menu.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 14 (How Not to Die from Prostate Cancer), at p.275.
“The evidence suggests that flaxseeds are a safe, low cost source of nutrition and may reduce tumor-proliferation rates. Why not give them a try? Just make sure to grind the flaxseeds first if you don't buy them preground—otherwise, the seeds may pass right through your body undigested.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025). Part 1, Chapter 14 (How Not to Die from Prostate Cancer), at p.279.
“The idea of preventive health is that we do something now so that nothing bad happens later. You eat a healthier diet now to avoid disease later. You have tremendous power over your health destiny. The vast majority of premature deaths can be prevented with simple changes in what you eat and how you live. In other words, a long and healthy life is largely a matter of choice.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition), Part 2. From Conclusion, at p.466. 470.
“America's number one killer is fatty deposits in the walls of our arteries called atherosclerotic plaque. The hardening of the arteries by pockets of cholesterol-rich gunk that builds up within the inner linings of the blood vessels, narrowing the path for blood to flow. We can avoid trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol-laden foods that clog up our arteries. Nathan Pritikin, the man who helped launch a lifestyle medicine revolution, figured that if he stopped eating a heart-disease-promoting diet, he could stop the advancement of the disease. What he found was even more remarkable. He didn't just stop the disease from getting worse, he reversed his condition. He then went on to help thousands of others do the same.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 1 (How Not to Die from Heart Disease), at p.20. 22. Plus Chapter 14, at p.274.
“Clogging of the arteries inside of the brain with atherosclerotic plaque is thought to play a pivotal role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Too much cholesterol in our blood is not only considered the primary risk factor for heart disease but is also unanimously recognised as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Excess cholesterol in the blood can lead to excess cholesterol in the brain, which may then help trigger the clumping of amyloid seen in Alzheimer's brains. It's better to lower our cholesterol levels naturally by eating more healthfully to help preserve our heart, brain, and mind. But the key is starting early. High cholesterol and high blood pressure may begin harming our brain as early as our twenties.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 3 (How Not to Die from Brain Diseases), at p.63. 64. 64-65. 65. 75.
“High blood pressure appears to be a choice. Consuming too much salt kills an estimated 1.9 million people a year. If we could cut our salt intake by avoiding salty foods and not adding salt to our food, we might prevent 22 percent of stroke deaths and 16 percent of fatal heart attacks. In the United States alone, up to ninety-two thousand lives could be saved each year simply by eating less salt. If we reduce our salt intake, we reduce our blood pressure. And the greater the reduction, the greater the benefit. Salt itself can injure our arteries independent of its impact on blood pressure. And that harm begins within thirty minutes. After one salty meal, not only does blood pressure increase but the arteries begin to stiffen. The real villains—it's the processed food industry. The trillion-dollar processed food industry uses dirt-cheap added salt and sugar to sell us their junk. That's why it's not easy avoiding sodium on the typical American diet, since three-quarters of our sodium intake comes from processed foods rather than a saltshaker. Four things we can do to shake the salt habit. First, don't add salt at the table. Second, stop adding salt when cooking. Also, it's probably a good idea to avoid eating out as much as possible. Even non-fast-food restaurants tend to over-salt. Finally, do what you can to avoid processed foods. A low-sodium diet centered around whole plant foods appears to be the best way to bring down high blood pressure.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 5 (How Not to Die from High Blood Pressure), at p.104, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111. 117.
“Why is colorectal cancer so much more prevalent in Western cultures? Renowned surgeon Denis Burkitt eventually came to the conclusion that fibre intake was the key. What other protective compounds might explain the low cancer rates among plant-based populations? The answer might lie in natural compounds called phytates, which are found in the seeds of plants—in other words, in all whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Phytates have been shown to detoxify excess iron in the body, which otherwise can generate a particularly harmful kind of free radical called hydroxyl radicals. Meat contains the type of iron (heme) particularly associated with colorectal cancer but lacks, as do refined plant foods, the phytates to extinguish these iron-forged free radicals.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 6 (How Not to Die from Digestive Cancers), at p.129.
“In 2012, the results from two major Harvard University studies were published. The researchers found that the consumption of both processed and unprocessed red meat was associated with an increased risk of dying from cancer and heart disease and shortened life spans overall. The findings suggest there may be something harmful in the meat itself. One of the possibilities is heme iron. Iron can generate cancer-causing free radicals by acting as a pre-oxidant. A strategy may be to emphasize plant sources in our diet, which our body can better manage. The healthiest iron sources are legumes (beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils), whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables, certain fruits like dried apricots, and nuts and seeds. Include vitamin C-rich foods, such as citrus, tropical fruits, bell peppers/capsicum, and broccoli, to improve iron absorption.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 6 (How Not to Die from Digestive Cancers), at p.132. 133. 134. 135.
“The good news: Type 2 diabetes is almost always preventable, often treatable, and sometimes even reversible through diet and lifestyle changes. By switching to a healthy diet, you can start improving your health within a matter of hours. We can lower our insulin resistance by lowering our fat intake. As the amount of fat in our diet becomes increasingly lower, insulin works increasingly better. People who eat a plant-based diet have just a small fraction of the rate of diabetes seen in those who regularly eat meat. As diets become increasingly plant-based, there appears to be a stepwise drop in diabetes rates. Those eating plant-based diets have been found to have better insulin sensitivity, better blood sugar levels, better insulin levels, and even significantly improved function of their beta cells—the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin in the first place. In other words, people eating plant-based diets appear to be better at both producing and using insulin. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented, arrested, and even reversed with a healthy-enough diet.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 7 (How Not to Die from Diabetes), at p.146. 148. 153. 154. 168.
“Blood cancers can be categorized into three types: leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Fortunately, dietary changes may reduce our risk of all these blood cancers. University of Oxford researchers found that those who consume a plant-based diet are less likely to develop all forms of cancer combined. The greatest protection appeared to be against blood cancers. The incidence of leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma among those eating vegetarian diets is nearly half that of those eating meat. While they are figuring out the reasons, why not get a head start and try adding more healthy plant foods to your plate today? I would suggest we not wait until a cancer diagnosis to clean up our diet. Some of the plant-based protection might have been due to the antioxidant properties of fruit and vegetables.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 9 (How Not to Die from Blood Cancers), at p.184, 185, 186, 187.
“The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Of all the animal products studied, poultry tended to be associated with the greatest increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, all grades of follicular lymphoma, and B-cell lymphomas. The EPIC study found that risk increased between 56 percent and 280 percent for every 50 grams of poultry consumed daily. This could be due to the drugs, such as antibiotics, that are often fed to chickens and turkeys to promote their growth. Or it might be the dioxins found in some poultry meat, which have been linked to lymphoma. The researchers surmised it may be the cancer-causing viruses in poultry. On a public health level, the concern here is that the cancer-causing viruses present in poultry and poultry products may then be transmitted to those in the general population who handle or eat inadequately cooked chicken. The potential threat to the public, the researchers concluded, "is not trivial". To date, however, the role poultry and other farm animal viruses play in the development of human cancers remains unknown.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 9 (How Not to Die from Blood Cancers), at p.190, 191, 192.
“Our kidneys work around the clock, process[ing] up to 142 litres of blood every twenty-four hours just to make the 1 to 2 liters of urine we pee out each day. If our kidneys do not function properly, metabolic waste products can accumulate in the blood. If our kidneys fail completely, we will either need a new one (kidney transplant) or have to go on dialysis, a process by which a machine artificially filters the blood. It's better to keep our kidneys healthy in the first place. The good news? The diets that are healthiest for our hearts—those centered around unprocessed plant foods—may be the best way to prevent and treat kidney disease as well. To keep our kidneys strong and our blood clean, we must carefully consider what we eat. The typical meat-sweet Western diet can slowly damage our kidneys one meal at a time, forcing the kidneys into a state of hyperfiltration. We can reduce our kidneys' workload (and acid load) by moving toward a more plant-based diet.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 10 (How Not to Die from Kidney Disease), at p.196. 211.
“In 2023, aspartame was officially classified as possibly carcinogenic, offering another reason to stay away from it. Avoiding diet fizzy drinks and those pastel paper packets seems easy enough, but artificial sweeteners are also present in more than six thousand products, including breath mints, cereals, chewing gums, jams and preservatives, juice drinks, desserts, and yoghurts. This prevalence has led researchers to assert that aspartame "is impossible to completely eradicate from daily encounters." But, of course, that's only true for people who eat processed foods. Discriminating shoppers make it a priority to read ingredients lists, but the healthiest foods in the supermarket—found in the produce aisle—don't even have them.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 11 (How Not to Die from Suicidal Depression), at p. 222.
“Milk and Prostate Cancer. A compilation of case-control studies did conclude that cow's milk consumption is a risk factor for prostate cancer. But, you may be wondering, if you don't drink milk, what will happen to your bones? Doesn't milk help prevent osteoporosis? It turns out that the promised benefit may be just another empty marketing ploy. A recent meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies involving nearly half a million people found that greater milk intake is associated with an elevated risk of hip fracture. Researchers investigated the connection between milk intake and mortality. Overall, the study showed a dose-dependent higher rate of mortality (in both men and women) and fracture (in women). Harvard researchers, after following more than two hundred thousand men and women for up to three decades, confirmed the bad news in 2019. Those who consumed more dairy lived significantly shorter lives. Every additional half-serving of regular milk a day was associated with a 9 percent increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, an 11 percent increased risk of dying from cancer, and an 11 percent increased risk of dying from all causes put together.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 14 (How Not to Die from Prostate Cancer), at p.271. 272. 272-273.
“Scientists have been desperate to identify factors involved in the spread of prostate cancer once it has emerged. Compared with men who rarely ate eggs, men who ate even less than a single egg a day appeared to have twice the risk of prostate cancer progression, such as metastasizing into the bones. The only thing potentially worse for prostate cancer than eggs was poultry: Men with more aggressive cancer who regularly ate chicken and turkey had up to four times the risk of prostate cancer progression. Men who consume two and a half or more eggs per week—basically an egg every three days—may have an 81 percent increased risk of dying from prostate cancer.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 14 (How Not to Die from Prostate Cancer), at p.273, 274.
“Should our levels of IGF-1 remain too high when we reach adulthood, our cells will constantly receive a message to grow, divide, and keep going and growing. Not surprisingly, the more IGF-1 we have in our bloodstream, the higher our risk for developing cancers, such as prostate cancer. The release of IGF-1 appears to be triggered by the consumption of animal protein. This may explain why we can so dramatically bolster the cancer-fighting power of our bloodstream within weeks of eating a plant-based diet. This is one of the ways we suspect plant-based eating boosts our blood defenses: By reducing animal protein intake, we reduce our levels of IGF-1. One of the ways our body tries to protect itself from cancer—that is, excessive growth—is by releasing a binding protein into our bloodstream to tie up any excess IGF-1. Only men and women who limit their intake of all animal proteins appear able to significantly drop their levels of the cancer-promoting hormone and raise their levels of the protective binding proteins.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 14 (How Not to Die from Prostate Cancer), at p.283. 284.
“All told, physicians dispense more than six billion prescriptions for drugs every year in the United States. That comes out to twenty prescriptions a year for every man, woman, and child. How is that even possible? Most people surveyed said they wouldn't be willing to take many of these pharmaceuticals if they knew how little benefit these products actually offered. To me, the true tragedy is all the lost opportunity to address the root causes of patients' conditions. When people dramatically overestimate how much their prescription pills protect them, they may be less likely to make the dietary changes necessary to dramatically lower their risk. Take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, for example. On average, they reduce the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or death in the subsequent decade from 5.7 percent down to 3.9 percent, for an absolute risk reduction of about 2 percent. Meanwhile, a whole food, plant-based diet may work thirty times better, potentially offering an absolute risk reduction of 60 percent after fewer than four years. We need to have a realistic understanding of how limited a role the contents of our medicine cabinets play compared to the contents of our refrigerator.”
Michael Greger (born 1972) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michael Greger, How Not to Die (2025 Edition). Part 1, Chapter 15 (How Not to Die from Iatrogenic Causes), at p.292, 293, 294.