The sixth annual International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference is coming to San Diego, California this fall. The vegan medical conference hopes to share knowledge of how, in many cases, a plant-based diet can be an effective form of preventative medicine.
According to the conference mission statement, the goal is to share the health benefits of a vegan diet with physicians and healthcare practitioners using research-driven evidence. The event welcomes physicians from all medical fields such as family medicine, internal medicine, cardiology, endocrinology, pediatrics, geriatrics, psychiatry, integrative medicine, and surgery. In doing so, the organizers hope that medical experts will use resources from the event to “inform and inspire their patients and clients to adopt the optimal whole food, plant-based dietary lifestyle.”
The conference will cover a wide range of topics such as the adverse health effects of the Standard American Diet, dietary causes of inflammation, arthritis, how diet can impact mental health, cancer prevention, multiple sclerosis, and diet and diabetes. There will also be a section on nutrition and cooking.
The conference aims to transform medical practices by educating physicians. The organizers hope that, going forward, more medical professionals will account for the growing body of evidence in favor of a whole foods plant-based diet in their work. Organizers hope to empower professionals to speak to patients about this diet, thus benefitting the health and well-being of clients.
Panelists are a mix of well-known and upcoming vegan medical practitioners such as conference founder Dr. Scott Stall, “The China Study” author Dr. T. Colin Campbell, founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and nutritionfacts.org creator Dr. Michael Greger, Joel Kahn, and vegan cardiologist Dr. Danielle Belardo.
Which Diet Is the Healthiest?
In recent years, several studies have supported the disease-fighting capabilities of a healthy vegan diet.
According to an expert report released by the World Cancer Research Fund this year, cutting out meat, dairy, and eggs, avoiding large quantities of alcohol and sugary drinks, and eating more whole foods could potentially reduce the risk of cancer by as much as 40 percent.
Further, according to a study conducted by the American Diabetic Association, saturated animal fat increases the risk of heart disease even more than sugar, it can also cause liver damage as well as diabetes. Vegan cardiologist and panelist Dr. Belardo reports that she has been able to help patients alleviate symptoms of coronary artery disease, lose weight, and safely stop taking blood pressure medication by helping them to adopt a plant-based diet.
The International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference is set to take place between September 14-17 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.
