Scientist fact-checks New Netflix Diet Documentary: Vegan vs Omnivore Twins

The New Netflix show on diets is creating a ruckus, with some applauding it and some calling it "biased" and "propaganda". It's called "You are what you Eat" and it covers the Stanford Twin Experiment. Let's examine some of the claims and messages and their scientific foundation.

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Animations: Even Topland @toplandmedia

References
Stanford Twin experiment:

Casomorphins:

Dairy & Cancer:

Climate & Food System:

Bifidobacteria & Human Health:

Disclaimer: The contents of this video are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor to replace medical care. The information presented herein is accurate and conforms to the available scientific evidence to the best of the author's knowledge as of the time of posting. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding any medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information contained in Nutrition Made Simple!.

#NutritionMadeSimple #GilCarvalho

0:00 New Netflix doco
2:29 Scientific claims
4:30 Unreliable communication
6:51 Environmental issues
8:03 Results
9:04 Body composition
9:43 Arousal
11:02 Cognition
11:36 Microbiome
12:13 Rate of Aging
13:17 Cholesterol & Insulin

[Physionic]

Great point about unreliable communication. Something I feel strongly about, as well.

[lindahancock]

Not kidding, I believe I would have given up on finding fact based information on nutrition had I not come across your channel. Please never give up the fight....It's a difficult one and will never end. Just know, you make a difference to so many.

[selkiema]

Excellent!!! Thanks so much for this nuanced, honest review of the Netflix series. I have been happily vegan/plant-based for over 10 years now, but even I, after all these years find myself "put off" by unsubstantiated claims made by so many of the well respected and well meaning leaders in the movement. I've had to come to my own conclusions, digging for valid info in the literature as a non-scientist. I am so glad to have come across you and Chris MacAskill at Plant Chompers!!! ❤

[adamrisch]

Great review and I agree 100% that selectively presenting evidence is sure to backfire and only harms the credibility of whatever case you're trying to make.

[brianrollins]

The advocates of the "EAT THIS WAY OR ELSE" type of diets too often "cherry-pick" data that supports their views while ignoring that which contradicts or is ambiguous. I appreciate your candor and objectivity. I trust science because of those qualities, it's the most reliable vehicle we have to unveil the truth.

[christianknudsen]

I have been one of the people who complained about you "attaking" the "good guys". I see now that you're right. Thanks for that.

[gvffbvl]

An informative and interesting review of the Netflix series. One of the things that really struck me when I watched it was the insistence that both the vegan and omnivorous diets were healthy, yet the vegan arm were provided with ultraprocessed food (fake sausages, cheese etc) which are known to be bad for health. This seems most bizarre.

[undergroundblu]

Well said! You have a great way of communicating complex scientific problems to the masses without over-complicating it. Another great quality of yours is you aren't egotistical in relaying your message. Other people seem to want to make themselves sound smarter, rather than relay/explain a point. Thank you!

I started watching the show and was immediately disappointed by how persuasive it was. I didn't finish watching it.

[terber]

BRAVO Dr. Gil! If you could see me, you would see I am giving you a standing ovation. So right about "half-truths" they are dangerous and will cause people like me to not believe anything you say and turn you off. This is why I love your channel; you based your decisions/statements on science not on your personal biases. Thank you!

[filippoferrari]

Every time I see one of your videos, at a certain point, I need to pause the video and comment: I really love the way you analize a topic. You don’t leave anything to the case and try to cover every little aspect of the whole thing.
You are a true mentor to me!

Filippo, young MD from Italy 🇮🇹

[miketrebert]

Thanks. I'm a vegan. I very much appreciate your insistence on rigorous argument. I must often defend myself against aggressive argument by people who expect me to justify my decisions while they don't feel any responsibility to make a coherent argument to back up their "normal" choices. Top tip: do not ever utter the word "tofu"!

[Lophophorawilliamsii]

These are the secrets to living more than 116 years from spanish María Branyas, the oldest person in the world:

1. Eat without getting completely full. Eat small amounts of food. This habit consists of eating only what we need, without overdoing it. There is no deprivation of any food, but you do consume those that are less healthy on rare occasions.

2. María eats yogurt every day, but natural, nothing sugary.

3. Stress management. A quiet life. María indicates the need to get closer to people who give us good energy and positivity, and stay away from those who bring the opposite.

4. María has not had any major illness in her 116 years, and she overcame Covid-19 without major consequences.

[Ermude]

Excellent points! Especially the part about unreliable communication. Having a very high integrity about factualness is crucial for trust in the field (or person) in the long term and seems to be often forgotten when people are so eager to promote something, even with the best of intentions.

[shanti]

Been there. done that. Vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, Keto, etc etc etc. In the end I am healthier on a diet of variety and eating food that is the least adulterated with chemicals and processing as possible. I culture and ferment, cook from scratch as much as I can, choose brands carefully by research and simply reading labels. I am 75 and “oddly” in spite of having Sjögren’s from 8 years of stressful caregiving for my Alzheimer’s mother, I am amazingly healthy physically and mentally. I also liberally use alternative medicine when the research supports it and don’t bow to pharmaceutical bullying by doctors but do extensive research to get to the real facts. So far, this approach is working well for me. Also mental and emotional health can’t be underestimated. So my motto is Live, Love, Laugh and always be kind.

[pbiz]

Don't apologize! I love your "rant" and am completely on board with you!

[SD-llmg]

I am vegan and I agree with everything that you said in your rant. I want to know the actual facts, and it's so hard these days with each side spouting their propaganda, and then having those narratives parroted online.. There are numerous legit reasons to go vegan, we don't need to be spreading misinformation or half truths.

[jadedk]

One of the very rare gems on YouTube that try to be scientific and objective at all cost, when most all others are unscientific and subjective.

[NoirHammer]

I've eaten an omnivore diet for the first 17 years of my life and then switched to a vegan diet. I'm now 54. I can honestly say there's room for improvement in both ways of eating. I had issues when I ate meat and in the first ten years as a vegan. Eating whole foods and drinking filtered water is best while also making sure you're getting adequate omega 3. Stay away from sugar and processed carbs. Also, I've found that eating plenty of fermented foods will keep you regular, more so than increasing your fiber intake. Lastly, exercise is also important. Lots of walking and either free weights or machine work is necessary to maintain your form. That's about it.

[glumberty]

I couldn't even begin to bother with a show like this. First of all, the vegan diet doesn't tell us what someone is eating; it only tells us what they don't eat. The same is true of the omnivore diet. Either one could be a relatively healthy or unhealthy diet depending on what the people on each diet are eating.

[jocelynmacgregor]

They weren’t even assigned randomly- they were given their less preferred diet choice.