We had the honor of interviewing Dr. Neal Barnard—renowned physician, researcher, author, and founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)—to explore the transformative power of a plant-based diet. From disease prevention and hormonal balance to athletic performance and sustainability, his insights are essential reading for anyone seeking clarity and motivation on the path to better health.
What are some of the most promising recent findings in your research on plant-based nutrition, especially related to chronic disease reversal?
There has been a tremendous amount of news coverage recently regarding processed foods at a time when many Americans do not know what this term means, or even that some processed foods are more healthful than others. I recently wrote about it in JAMA Network Open.
Foods considered “ultra-processed” can reduce diabetes risk or increase it, depending on which ones they are. Studies show it’s processed meat consumption that is associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, not plant-based ultra-processed foods, such as breakfast cereals, which are actually associated with reduced risk of these conditions.
Two recently published analyses of our clinical research found that replacing animal products with plant-based foods, even ultra-processed ones, leads to weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity in people with type 1 diabetes and weight loss and a reduction in hot flashes in postmenopausal women.
The key to success is replacing all animal products with plant-based foods—whether that’s unprocessed fruits and veggies or ultra-processed soy milk and Corn Flakes.
How do you see the role of nutrition evolving within mainstream medicine over the next 5–10 years? Are we moving closer to prevention-focused care?
Awareness among the general public and medical professionals regarding the role plant-based nutrition plays in health and wellness continues to improve, and mainstream medicine is taking notice. In fact, the president of the American Medical Association (AMA)—the largest medical association in the United States—will speak at our 13th annual International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine taking place in Washington, D.C., Aug. 14-16.
In June, the AMA adopted a new policy I helped draft, aiming to help women reduce the risk of developing breast cancer through prevention-focused care, including plant-based nutrition.
The policy reads: “Our American Medical Association supports efforts to educate the public about the benefits of lifestyle changes that may reduce breast cancer risk, including regular physical activity, maintenance of a healthy body weight, a healthy plant-based diet, and limiting alcohol intake. Our American Medical Association encourages physicians to regularly discuss with their individual patients the benefits of lifestyle changes that may reduce cancer risk.”
This policy aligns with the Physicians Committee’s “Let’s Beat Breast Cancer” campaign, which promotes these guidelines, and it is well-timed. A recent national poll showed that, although most women are aware of ways to find breast cancer through mammography and self-examination, only 28% were aware of any dietary factors that can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in the first place. It is important to reach both consumers and health care practitioners with this lifesaving approach.
Your work often emphasizes the connection between food and brain health. Could you share the latest insights on how plant-based diets support cognitive function and mental wellness?
Research continues to show the protective benefits of a plant-based diet for brain health and psychological well-being. People consuming more vegetables and fruits have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and people avoiding animal products do best of all. Earlier this year, researchers showed that low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels below 70 mg/dL were associated with a 26% lower risk of all-cause dementia and a 28% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia. Vegan and vegetarian diets are effective at lowering total and LDL cholesterol levels.
Mental health benefits have also been shown for people following a vegan and vegetarian diet. Plant-based eaters were less likely to experience anxiety and depression, had better cognitive restraint, and exhibited less emotional and uncontrolled eating than people eating a diet that included meat. Other studies have found that eating more fruits and vegetables improves mental well-being and short-term mental health.
Many of our readers are plant-curious but hesitant. What is your most grounded advice for someone transitioning to a plant-based diet, especially if they’ve grown up with animal products as cultural staples?
I’d recommend that people go all in and test out a vegan diet for 21 days. Before you get started, find recipes that appeal to you and your family. The Physicians Committee offers hundreds of free low-fat plant-based recipes on our website, PCRM.org, including breakfasts, lunches, dinners, side dishes, desserts, and more. They range from meals like pasta dishes and burritos to a tofu egg salad sandwich and brownies made with beets and black beans. There’s something for everyone! The recipes have been developed and tested by chefs, dietitians, and experts in vegan cuisine and provide a roadmap to nutritious meals that are both healthy and delicious.
People may also be surprised to learn that many of the foods they already enjoy are vegan—or can easily be made vegan. For example, morning oatmeal with berries, falafel sandwich at lunch, and veggie chili for dinner—all vegan. Fresh fruits, roasted veggies, lentils, nuts, and hearty whole grains are all part of a healthful plant-based diet.
Next, stock your pantry, and get rid of any animal products to help avoid temptation.
For added support, invite your friends and family to join you in trying out a vegan diet. The Physicians Committee also has programs across the world that can provide support, like our Food for Life plant-based nutrition and cooking classes and our Building Healthy Communities program.
Are there common pitfalls you see in early plant-based adopters — nutritionally or psychologically — and how can they be avoided?
There’s no challenge that can’t be overcome, and our Vegan Starter Kit includes tips for staying on track, including dining out, social situations, avoiding temptation, and finding support. I often hear from patients and people in our nutrition classes that they wish they had started to shift to a plant-based diet sooner.
Nutritionally speaking, there are no pitfalls to eating a vegan diet, and it’s beneficial at all stages of life. A plant-based diet that includes a B12 supplement provides all of the nutrients your body needs. Just be sure to let your physician know that you are starting a plant-based diet. If you’ve made improvements in your health, your doctor may be keen to hear what you’re doing!
For amateur athletes — runners, yogis, and fitness lovers — how does a plant-based
One of the strongest men in the world, Patrik Baboumian, who has won world strongman and powerlifting competitions, is vegan. He is just one example of vegan athletes at the top of their games.
From amateur to Olympian, many athletes—like tennis great Novak Djokovic and Formula One race car driver Lewis Hamilton—have reached the top of their athletic careers while following a plant-based diet. This healthful way of eating provides all of the nutrients your body needs for training and competition, including sufficient carbohydrates to fuel workouts, protein to build muscle, and micronutrients to support recovery.
Because a plant-based diet is high in carbohydrates, low in fat, and rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, it can support or improve athletic performance. Plant-based athletes benefit from improvements in heart health, performance, and recovery. A 2024 systematic review in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association found that plant-based diets may offer benefits for endurance and aerobic capacity, power, and strength compared to an omnivorous diet.
Our Vegan Nutrition for Athletes page, PCRM.org/Athletes, has recipes, a fact sheet, and other resources for athletes.
You’ve published impactful work on women’s hormonal health. What role can plant-based nutrition play in easing PMS, perimenopause, or hormonal imbalances, and what are the most underestimated plant foods in this area?
We have learned through our clinical research studies and experiences with individual women who have gone through menopause that diet and other lifestyle choices can make menopause much more manageable.
Women typically spend some years in perimenopause, the years preceding or following menopause, during which time they can experience symptoms such as hot flashes, mood changes, anxiety, irregular or heavy menstruation, and weight gain. Women may also experience negative metabolic changes, less favorable fat distribution, worsening bone health, and worsening brain function.
Hot flashes are one of the most bothersome symptoms for women. The Physicians Committee conducted a clinical trial called the WAVS trial, the Women’s Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms, in 2020. The trial included postmenopausal women reporting two or more hot flashes per day. They were randomly assigned either to eat a low-fat, vegan diet with half a cup of cooked soybeans daily or to make no changes to their diet for 12 weeks.
In the group that followed a vegan diet, moderate-to-severe hot flashes decreased by 88%. At the study’s conclusion, many of those following a vegan diet reported that they no longer had moderate or severe hot flashes.
Several participants from the study have shared their success stories, including Margo, Anne Marie, and Francine.
How do soy and flaxseed fit into this conversation, considering the myths and confusion that often surround them?
Soybeans and other soy products, such as tofu and soy milk, contain isoflavones, which have favorable effects in the human body, including helping to reduce the risk of breast cancer and alleviate hot flashes. Research shows that eating soy products is also protective against prostate cancer for men.
For many in the yoga and wellness communities, ethical living is integral. How do you personally view the intersection of compassion, health, and sustainability when it comes to food choices?
For those wanting to live ethically, a plant-based diet void of animal products is the best choice for human and environmental health, and the kindest choice for animals.
Research shows that meat and dairy products are fueling the climate crisis, while plant-based diets—focused on fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans—help protect the planet.
A report published in The Lancet in 2019 concluded that a dietary shift toward plant foods and away from animal products is vital for promoting the health of our planet. The report states that projections for the future show that “vegan and vegetarian diets were associated with the greatest reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions.”
What message would you share with healthcare professionals in countries where plant-based medicine is still met with resistance or skepticism?
I have been encouraged to see health care professionals increasingly adopt nutrition, plant-based diets specifically, as a first line of defense to prevent and cure disease. The research and people’s experiences speak for themselves.
A major 2023 meta-analysis of more than 2 million people found that higher adherence to plant-based diets—especially those rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains—is associated with significantly lower risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and early death. These findings reinforce the growing evidence that plant-based eating can help prevent many of the leading causes of death.
A large U.S. study of more than 70,000 adults found that vegans and vegetarians have a lower risk of early death compared to people who eat meat. In the study, vegans saw up to a 15% lower risk overall, with especially strong results for heart disease. The findings come from the Adventist Health Study 2—one of the largest studies to directly compare plant-based and meat-based diets.
A 2017 meta-analysis that reviewed studies comparing vegetarian and vegan diets to meat-based diets found that vegetarian diets were linked to a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. Vegans also had a lower risk of cancer, though fewer studies focused specifically on them. While most of the research looked at disease risk rather than lifespan, the findings support the broader conclusion that plant-based eating can reduce the risk of major chronic diseases.
For those ready to get started on a plant-based diet, the Physicians Committee has a free Vegan Starter Kit that contains recipes, links to resources, and more. We also provide on our website, PCRM.org, a list of plant-based health care providers.
What motivates you to continue advocating for plant-based health after decades of groundbreaking work?
A vegan diet can help reduce the risk of, prevent, or even reverse diet-related diseases— like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers—that take the lives of millions of people every year. It can also help with dozens of other health conditions. My motivation is getting this message to everyone, and for everyone to try out a vegan diet and see the results for themselves. We’re getting the message out through our clinical research, our work with policymakers, our education tools for doctors and other health care professionals, our online and in-person nutrition classes, our media outreach, and other efforts.
If you could debunk one lingering myth about plant-based nutrition in every household tomorrow, what would it be?
A vegan diet tastes great, provides all necessary nutrients (with the addition of a B12 supplement), can help reverse diet-related disease epidemics, including obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes; is good for the planet; and can save the lives of tens of millions of animals a year. Every household should get started on a vegan diet tomorrow!
About Neal D. Barnard, MD, FACC
Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, and President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Dr. Barnard has led numerous research studies investigating the effects of diet on diabetes, body weight, hormonal symptoms, and chronic pain, including a groundbreaking study of dietary interventions in type 2 diabetes, funded by the National Institutes of Health, that paved the way for viewing type 2 diabetes as a potentially reversible condition for many patients. Dr. Barnard has authored more than 100 scientific publications and 20 books for medical and lay readers, and is the editor in chief of the Nutrition Guide for Clinicians, a textbook made available to all U.S. medical students.
As president of the Physicians Committee, Dr. Barnard leads programs advocating for preventive medicine, good nutrition, and higher ethical standards in research. His research contributed to the acceptance of plant-based diets in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In 2015, he was named a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. In 2016, he founded the Barnard Medical Center in Washington, DC, as a model for making nutrition a routine part of all medical care.
Working with the Medical Society of the District of Columbia and the American Medical Association, Dr. Barnard has authored key resolutions, now part of AMA policy, calling for a new focus on prevention and nutrition in federal policies and in medical practice. In 2018, he received the Medical Society of the District of Columbia’s Distinguished Service Award. He has hosted four PBS television programs on nutrition and health.
Originally from Fargo, North Dakota, Dr. Barnard received his M.D. degree at the George Washington University School of Medicine and completed his residency at the same institution. He practiced at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York before returning to Washington to found the Physicians Committee.
