Michael Greger

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Michael Greger
Photograph of Michael Greger in a white coat and brightly colored tie with a transparent background
Born (1972-10-25) October 25, 1972 (age 52)
Miami, Florida, United States
EducationCornell University (BA)
Tufts University (MD)
Medical career
ProfessionGeneral practitioner
FieldClinical nutrition
WebsiteDrGreger.org

Michael Herschel Greger (born October 25, 1972) is an American physician, author, and speaker on

whole-food, plant-based diet
, and his opposition to animal-derived food products.

Early life and education

Michael Greger was born on October 25, 1972,

Cornell University School of Agriculture in 1995,[9][10][11] where as a junior he wrote informally about the dangers of bovine spongiform encephalopathy on a website he published in 1994.[12][13] In the same year, he was hired to work on mad cow issues for Farm Sanctuary, near Cornell, and became a vegan after touring a stockyard as part of his work with Farm Sanctuary.[9]

In 1998, Greger appeared as an expert witness testifying about bovine spongiform encephalopathy when cattle producers unsuccessfully sued

libel over statements she had made about the safety of meat in 1996.[9][14][15] He later enrolled at Tufts University School of Medicine, originally for its MD/PhD program, but then withdrew from the dual-degree program to pursue only the medical degree.[16] He received his MD in 1999 as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition.[5][9][17]

Career

Greger (center) at the USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, Washington, D.C., 2019.

In 2001, Greger joined the Organic Consumers Association to work on mad cow issues, on which he spoke widely as cases of the disease appeared in the US and Canada.[9][18][19][20] Previously in 1994, in a Cornell University animal rights publication, Greger highlighted the results of a survey in Britain that appeared to support the view of a microbiologist at the University of Leeds that mad cow disease was "much more serious than AIDS".[21] A decade later, in early 2004, the Daily Bruin, the student newspaper of the University of California, Los Angeles, reported that Greger had called mad cow disease the "plague of the 21st century".[22] However, Greger later denied ever making such a statement, clarifying that he had merely posed it as a question during a speech.[23] That same year, Greger cited a study and said that "thousands of Americans may already be dying because of Mad Cow disease every year".[24][25]

In 2004, he launched a website and published a book critical of the

Atkins Diet and other low-carbohydrate diets.[9] That same year, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine was founded,[26] and Greger was a founding member,[5][9][27] and fellow.[17]

In 2005, Michael Greger joined the farm animal welfare division of the

undercover video of the Westland Meat Packing Company,[29][30] which revealed downer animals entering the meat supply. This led the USDA to mandate the recall of 143 million pounds of beef, some of which had been routed into the nation's school lunch program.[31] In 2011, Greger founded the website NutritionFacts.org,[32][33] with funding from the Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation.[34][35]

Reception

Greger's books have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list multiple times, including How Not to Die three times,[36][37][38] How Not to Diet,[39] and How Not to Age once each.[40]

Greger's third book, Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching, received a favorable review which said it was "interesting and informative to both scientists and lay persons".[41] Public health expert David Sencer was critical of the book, writing that it "focuses heavily on doomsday scenarios and offers little in terms of practical advice to the public" and that "a professional audience would quickly put [the book] aside for more factually correct sources of information".[42]

In 2024, Morgan Pfiffner of Red Pen Reviews gave his sixth book, How Not to Diet a score of 50% for its scientific accuracy and a score of 75% for its healthfulness. Pfiffner commented that "While much of the book is well supported by research, there are a significant number of fairly questionable claims, leading to a handful of dietary recommendations that seem unnecessary, too restrictive, or potentially counterproductive". He also argues that Greger's claim that a whole food plant-based diet can reverse heart disease is questionable. According to Pfiffner this has not been demonstrated as the randomized controlled trial that he cited from Dean Ornish did not show regression of atherosclerotic plaque.[43]

Harriet Hall argues that, while it is well-accepted that it is more healthy to eat a plant-based diet than a typical Western diet, Greger often overstates the known benefits of such a diet as well as the harm caused by eating animal products (for example, in a talk, he claimed that a single meal rich in animal products can "cripple" one's arteries), and he sometimes does not discuss evidence that contradicts his strong claims.[44] Joseph A. Schwarcz of McGill University argues that although Greger takes his information from respected science journals and produces impressive videos, he has a vegan agenda and cherry picks his data. He adds, "Of course that doesn't mean the cherries he picks are rotten; they're fine."[45]

Publications

Greger advocates for a general move away from a

USDA, stating that "a conflict of interest right in their mission statement" protects the economic interests of food producers in lieu of clear dietary guidelines.[48]

References

  1. ^ "Michael Greger Books | List of books by author Michael Greger". Better World Books. Archived from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  2. ^ "Description: How Not to Diet". Schlow Centre Region Library. Archived from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  3. ^ "Dr Michael Greger - How Not To Die". London Real – Brian Rose. October 5, 2017. Archived from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  4. ^ Neofilm (December 5, 2019). AWESOME! Story of Michael Greger, MD and Hall of Fame. University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2025 – via YouTube.
  5. ^
    ISSN 0140-0460. Archived
    from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  6. ISSN 1393-9564. Archived
    from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  7. ISSN 1047-028X. Archived
    from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  8. ISSN 1060-4332. Archived
    from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Deven 2010, p. 123
  10. ^ "Michael Greger, M.D." HuffPost. Archived from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  11. ISSN 1095-8169. Archived
    from the original on February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  12. ^ Greger, Michael (1994). "Mad Cow Disease – Much More Serious Than AIDS". EnviroLink. Archived from the original on December 24, 1996. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  13. ^ "Interview with Michael Greger". The Official Mad Cow Disease Home Page. May 6, 1996. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  14. ^ Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention, Food and Nutrition Board & Institute of Medicine 2012, p. 66
  15. ISSN 1741-9743. Archived
    from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  16. ^ Greger, Michael (1999). "About the Author". United Progressive Alumni. Archived from the original on March 2, 2000. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Michael Greger MD, FACLM". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  18. ISSN 1042-9840. Archived
    from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  19. ISSN 1563-9525. Archived
    from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  20. ISSN 0745-970X. Archived
    from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  21. ^ Greger, Michael (Spring 1994). "Mad Cow Disease, "Much More Serious Than AIDS"". AnimaLife. Vol. 4, no. 2. Cornell University. Archived from the original on December 24, 1996. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  22. ^ Moon, James (January 12, 2004). "Mad cow not real threat". Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  23. ^ Daily Bruin Staff (January 15, 2004). "Letters to the editor". Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  24. ^ Greger, Michael (Winter 2004). "The Killer Among Us: Could Mad Cow Disease Already Be Killing Thousands of Americans Every Year?" (PDF). EarthSave News. Vol. 15, no. 1. EarthSave International. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  25. ^ Greger, Michael (January 7, 2004). "Could Mad Cow Disease Already be Killing Thousands of Americans Every Year?". Dr. McDougall's Health & Medical Center. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  26. ^ Lippman et al. 2024, p. 97
  27. ^ Benigas 2024, p. 450
  28. ISSN 2165-1736. Archived
    from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  29. ^ United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce 2008
  30. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived
    from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  31. ISSN 1042-9840. Archived
    from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  32. ISSN 2985-2846. Archived
    from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  33. ^ Imatome-Yun, Naomi (September 18, 2016). "What Acclaimed Author of "How Not to Die" Wants Us to Eat to Avoid an Early Death". Forks Over Knives. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  34. ^ Matin et al. 2023, p. 2
  35. ^
    ISSN 0164-4033. Archived
    from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  36. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived
    from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  37. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived
    from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  38. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived
    from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  39. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived
    from the original on February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  40. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived
    from the original on February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  41. ^ Pekosz 2007, p. 2350
  42. ^ Sencer 2007, p. 1802–03
  43. ^ Pfiffner, Morgan (2024). "How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss". Red Pen Reviews. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  44. ^ Hall, Harriet (February 12, 2013). "Death as a Foodborne Illness Curable by Veganism". Science-Based Medicine. Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  45. ^ Schwarcz, Joe (March 20, 2017). "Dr. Michael Greger--What do we make of him?". McGill University. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  46. ^ Pawlowski, A. (December 20, 2019). "How to lose weight: Doctor names best healthy diet for weight loss". Today. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  47. ^ Schewitz, Kim (February 24, 2024). "4 supplements a doctor specializing in nutrition and healthy aging takes daily, including herbs and vitamins". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  48. ^ Gustafson 2014, p. 22

Bibliography
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