Renowned naturopath and integrative health pioneer Andrew Weil, MD, offered an assessment of health education, nutrition advice and other issues impacting the natural products industry at ExpoWest 2014 in Anaheim, CA.

“There’s so much confusion about diet and food today and I don’t see it getting any better,” he said. While there seems to be moderate consensus among nutrition researchers, somehow that understanding isn’t making its way into the training of health professionals, or the mainstream media, he added.

However, negative research on everything from antioxidants to omega-3s continues to make headlines, inevitably leading to more confusion among consumers and physicians. “Medical doctors in this country are functionally illiterate when it comes to nutrition,” said Dr. Weil, who is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine (AzCIM) at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center. “Many doctors have had no education in evaluating research.”

Clearly the dietary choices consumers make influence health and disease, and the consequences of failing to train physicians adequately are “enormous,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to Dr. Weil, 47% of hospitals have fast food restaurants located on their campuses. “Hospitals have signed a deal with the devil.” Moving the needle in a positive direction will continue to be challenging with many vested interests supported by the current system. 

Nutrition Today
Broadly speaking, Dr. Weil said fresh, whole, natural foods have become increasingly rare. Regarding dietary supplements, Dr. Weil said they are no substitute for whole foods. “At best they are partial representations of the complexity of nature. Nature is the master chemist.”

Overall, he advised that it’s good to eat a variety of plants, along with spices and, sparingly, fruits. “It’s good to eat across the color spectrum every day. There’s also increasing consensus among nutritional researchers that it is desirable for us to limit our intake of sweeteners of all kinds. If people would stop drinking sweetened beverages we’d be so far ahead of the curve. There’s no reason to drink sweet liquids.”

One great “nutritional misunderstanding” is the difference between whole grain and pulverized grain, he said, which impact blood sugar very differently. “We’ve transformed grains in a terrible, terrible way.”

Speaking of transformation, Dr. Weil addressed concerns about genetically modified organisms (GMOs), saying he’s “not categorically opposed to genetic modification,” noting there may be some benefits to creating more reliable crops for a growing population that will face the consequences of global climate change.

However, we may not be able to foresee the downstream consequences of genetic engineering, he added, as people only look at short-term gain. “At the very least, we should have a choice as to whether or not we consume something that has been modified.”

Dr. Weil also pointed to “serious changes for the worse” to the human microbiota, which, he suggested, have resulted from four main factors.

• The tremendous use of antibiotics: Dr. Weil estimated as much as 90% of prescriptions may be unnecessary;
• Changes in the nature of food: people are generally eating highly processed food;
• Decline in breastfeeding: human breast milk contains indigestible carbohydrates that act as prebiotics to feed certain kinds of bacteria;
• Rise in cesarean delivery: most aren’t for medical reasons but out of convenience, he said. In vaginal delivery, the baby picks up organisms via the birth canal, whereas in cesarean delivery they come from the skin.

These factors have resulted in a great shift of the human microbiota, according to Dr. Weil. “I think this is the explanation for gluten sensitivity,” along with other allergies (peanuts) and may be linked to ADHD.