Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Eating our way to the next pandemic

Dr. Roxanne Becker
Conditions
May 12, 2024
Share
Tweet
Share

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported the first case of H5N1 avian influenza in a human who contracted the virus not from a bird but from an infected dairy cow. The next pandemic could be around the corner, and the food we choose to purchase (or not to purchase) is playing a role in its development.

As we saw with the COVID-19 pandemic, viruses can undergo mutations rapidly, some of which increase the transmissibility or severity of the disease. Though this first H5N1 case appears mild from the information available, the virus may be a few mutations away from causing the next deadly pandemic.

Public health prevention recommendations from the DSHS focus on regularly washing hands, cough hygiene, staying home when sick, avoiding dead birds, and not consuming unpasteurized milk, as the virus may be transmitted through the ingestion of raw milk. However, we need to be more proactive in our approach to the possibility of another pandemic.

As a doctor who worked on the frontlines, intubating people, seeing the light disappear from their eyes, counseling the grieving families who lost loved ones, and seeing the long-term impact of this disease, it is with great urgency that I believe we should treat the possibility of a new pandemic. Shifting to a plant-based diet could be the key to reducing our personal risk of becoming infected with an infectious disease like H5N1, as well as how we can prevent zoonotic diseases from occurring in the first place.

A whole-food, plant-based diet has gained popularity over recent years due to its health benefits. Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic started to spread past the boundaries of Wuhan, China, researchers studied nearly 3,000 health care workers at risk of COVID-19 infection. Those following a plant-based diet were found to have a 73 percent lower risk of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 disease and a lower rate of infection. Conversely, processed meat has been associated with an increased risk of infection.

Diets that were more plant-based than the standard American diet, but included some animal products, such as vegetarian and pescatarian diets, were associated with a 53 percent lower risk of moderate-to-severe disease, which is less of a protective effect compared with a fully plant-based diet. A plant-based diet also addresses many of the lifestyle diseases that increase the risk and severity of COVID-19 severity, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Fruits and vegetables are filled with antioxidants and other nutrients, and consequently, they are very anti-inflammatory. This could explain why they are protective against COVID-19, which causes a large amount of inflammation in the body. Research has shown that people who consume more than 500 grams per day of vegetables have an 86 percent lower risk of COVID-19.

One study found that in people who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 consuming more vegetables, fruit, and fiber was associated with reduced severity of disease, shorter hospital stays, and lower markers of inflammation.

In a 2020 United Nations report titled “Preventing the Next Pandemic,” intensive agricultural farming practices, such as factory farming or concentrated animal feeding operations, are believed to be responsible for more than 50 percent of zoonotic diseases.

Human demand for animal products leads many farmers to adopt intensive farming practices, allowing diseases to spread rapidly. This could increase the risk of a virus mutating and affecting humans. Cramped conditions and close proximity between animals enable infections to spread rapidly from one animal to the next.

Genetically modified animals are bred for higher milk production and larger size to maximize profitability. Genetic variability is important in the survival of any species. Possessing different genes allows some individuals to be inherently more resistant to infections which makes the population stronger as a whole. Genetically homogenous animal populations contribute to the rapid spread of infectious diseases.

According to the World Health Organization, the animal agriculture sector can be responsible for up to 80 percent of total antibiotic consumption in some countries. Antibiotics are used to reduce the spread of disease on factory farms. However, this widespread use of antibiotics for farmed animals comes with the consequence of antibiotic-resistant infections. If these infections become able to infect humans and we don’t have an antibiotic to treat them, it almost certainly results in the death of the infected individual.

Factory farms also produce large amounts of animal waste. If not disposed of correctly, animals lie in their own excrement, which is a breeding ground for infections. The waste may contaminate water supplies with bacteria and viruses that could infect humans.

ADVERTISEMENT

Pig factory farms promoted the transmission of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic of 2009, which resulted in documented human cases in 170 countries. Shifting to plant-based proteins, such as tofu and beans, would reduce the demand for such intensive farming practices and consequently reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases.

News of the H5N1 human case should be treated with urgency if we are to avoid another future pandemic. Shifting to a plant-based diet would not only protect individuals’ health but also likely reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases.

Roxanne Becker is a lifestyle medicine physician.

Prev

Long COVID and your brain: the effect of virus and vaccines

May 12, 2024 Kevin 0
…
Next

Overcoming disparity in access to uterine artery embolization

May 12, 2024 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Infectious Disease

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Long COVID and your brain: the effect of virus and vaccines
Next Post >
Overcoming disparity in access to uterine artery embolization

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Dr. Roxanne Becker

  • The power of nutrition in cancer prevention

    Dr. Roxanne Becker

Related Posts

  • How the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for social media training in medical education 

    Oscar Chen, Sera Choi, and Clara Seong
  • Reimagining medical education from within a pandemic

    Kasey Johnson, DO
  • High-deductible health plans: a barrier to care for chronic conditions

    Shirin Hund, MD
  • Unveiling the game-changing diabetic drugs: Revolutionizing weight loss and diabetes management

    Dinesh Arab, MD
  • Why this physician marched during a pandemic

    Raj Sundar, MD
  • The first day of medical training during a pandemic

    Elizabeth D. Patton

More in Conditions

  • Facing terminal cancer as a doctor and mother

    Kelly Curtin-Hallinan, DO
  • Why doctors must stop ignoring unintentional weight loss in patients with obesity

    Samantha Malley, FNP-C
  • Why hospitals are quietly capping top doctors’ pay

    Dennis Hursh, Esq
  • Why point-of-care ultrasound belongs in emergency department triage

    Resa E. Lewiss, MD and Courtney M. Smalley, MD
  • Why PSA levels alone shouldn’t define your prostate cancer risk

    Martina Ambardjieva, MD, PhD
  • Reframing chronic pain and dignity: What a pain clinic teaches us about MAiD and chronic suffering

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • Beyond burnout: Understanding the triangle of exhaustion [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Facing terminal cancer as a doctor and mother

      Kelly Curtin-Hallinan, DO | Conditions
    • Online eye exams spark legal battle over health care access

      Joshua Windham, JD and Daryl James | Policy
    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      G. van Londen, MD | Meds
    • Pharmacists are key to expanding Medicaid access to digital therapeutics

      Amanda Matter | Meds
    • Why ADHD in women requires a new approach [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • Beyond burnout: Understanding the triangle of exhaustion [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Facing terminal cancer as a doctor and mother

      Kelly Curtin-Hallinan, DO | Conditions
    • Online eye exams spark legal battle over health care access

      Joshua Windham, JD and Daryl James | Policy
    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      G. van Londen, MD | Meds
    • Pharmacists are key to expanding Medicaid access to digital therapeutics

      Amanda Matter | Meds
    • Why ADHD in women requires a new approach [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...