Texas Department of State Health Services reported the first case of H5N1 avian flu in a human who contracted the virus not from a bird but from an infected dairy cow. The next pandemic could be right around the corner, and the foods we choose to buy (or not buy) play a role in its development.
As we have seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, viruses can undergo rapid mutations, some of which increase the transmissibility or severity of the disease. Although this first case of H5N1 appears mild based on available information, the virus could be just a few mutations away from causing the next deadly pandemic.
Public health prevention recommendations of the DSHS focus on regular hand washing, cough hygiene, staying home when sick, avoiding dead birds, and not consuming unpasteurized milk, as the virus can be transmitted by ingestion of raw milk. However, we need to be more proactive in our approach to the possibility of another pandemic.
As a doctor who has worked on the front lines, intubating people, seeing the light fade from their eyes, counseling grieving families who have lost loved ones, and seeing the long-term impact of this disease, it is with a great urgency that I believe we should address the possibility of a new pandemic. Switching to a plant-based diet could be the key to reducing our personal risk of being infected with an infectious disease like H5N1, as well as preventing the onset of zoonotic diseases.
A whole-food, plant-based diet has gained popularity in recent years due to its health benefits. Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading beyond the borders of Wuhan, China, researchers studied nearly 3,000 health care workers at risk of COVID-19 infection. Those who follow a plant-based diet have been found to have a 73 percent less risk of moderate to severe COVID-19 disease and a lower infection rate. Conversely, processed meat has been associated with 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 lower 53 percent less risk from moderate to severe disease, which has a lesser protective effect compared to a completely plant-based diet. A plant-based diet also helps combat many lifestyle diseases that increase the risk and severity of COVID-19 severity, such as obesity, Type 2 diabetesAnd heart disease.
Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidants and other nutrients, and as a result, they are very anti-inflammatory. This could explain why they protect against COVID-19, which causes a lot of inflammation in the body. Research showed that people who eat more than 500 grams of vegetables per day have an 86% lower risk of contracting COVID-19.
A study found that among people hospitalized with COVID-19, eating more vegetables, fruits, and fiber was associated with reduced disease severity, shorter hospital stays, and higher markers of inflammation. weak.
In a 2020 United Nations report titled “Preventing the next pandemic“, intensive agricultural 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 agricultural practices, allowing diseases to spread quickly. This could increase the risk of a virus mutating and affecting humans. The cramped conditions and proximity between animals allow infections to spread quickly from one animal to another.
Genetically modified animals are bred for higher milk production and larger body size to maximize profitability. Genetic variability is important for the survival of any species. Having different genes allows some individuals to be inherently more resistant to infections, making the population stronger as a whole. Genetically homogeneous animal populations contribute to the rapid spread of infectious diseases.
According to 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 in farm animals results in antibiotic-resistant infections. If these infections manage to infect humans and we don't have antibiotics to treat them, it will almost certainly result in the death of the infected person.
Factory farms also produce large amounts of animal waste. If not disposed of properly, animals sit in their own feces, which provide a breeding ground for infections. Waste can contaminate water supplies with bacteria and viruses that can infect humans.
Industrial pig farms contributed to the transmission of the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, which resulted in documented human cases in 170 countries. Switching to plant-based proteins, such as tofu and beans, would reduce demand for such intensive agricultural practices and therefore reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases.
The announcement of the human case of H5N1 must be addressed urgently if we are to avoid another pandemic. Switching to a plant-based diet would not only protect the health of individuals, but would also likely reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases.
Roxanne Becker is a physician specializing in lifestyle medicine.