Definition and Background
Cancer, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are among the largest patient care issues in the United States (What the Health 2017). In 2014, 584,872 people died of cancer (CDC 2014). According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, “More than 2 in 3 adults were considered to be overweight or have obesity” (NIDDK 2014, 1). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention believes that by 2050, one-third of adults living in the United States could have diabetes (CDC 2010). In 2011, the American Heart Association conferred that almost 787,000 people in the United States died from heart disease (AHA 2015). Many would argue that exercise, a controlled diet, and the cessation of smoking can lead to the prevention of cardiovascular disease (Buttar 2005). These prevention methods of exercise and a controlled diet hold effective for other chronic disease as well, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and many types of cancers (Booth 2012). If this was the ultimate truth then one would be lead to believe that organizations like the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Cancer Society would promote the correct diets for success on their websites. Although, this may not be the case (What the Health 2017). This is the issue that filmmakers Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn investigate in their documentary, What the Health.
What the Health is a documentary that investigates leading health organizations and their connections to big business in the United States (What the Health 2017). This is the second documentary created by Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn after Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (What the Health 2017). What the Health, released in March of 2017, delves into the world and connections of health organizations, meat processors, agribusiness, and pharmaceutical companies. What the Health focuses on the health problems that meat and dairy cause through interviews with physicians, researchers, nutritionists, patients, and athletes. The documentary aims to show how a meat-based diet is the cause of many of the diseases and problems in society today. Anderson argues that a meat-based diet is also promoted by three major healthcare organizations, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society, even though it has been shown the meat has an inverse influence on preventing diabetes, heart disease, and breast cancer (What the Health 2017). He then begins to show that these health organizations are influenced by the meat and pharmaceutical industries, and that this in turn is making them lie to the American people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf44vLndiRM (watch the trailer here!)
What the Health begins through the development of claims that diabetes, cancer, and carcinogens can come from processed meats. This information was derived from the World Health Organization that stated, “Processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer” (WHO 2015, 1). Anderson then questions the reasons behind why the American Cancer Society has a section for eating processed meats on their website, igniting his search for answers (What the Health 2017). He then looks at diabetes in the United States. He finds that diabetes is not caused by carbohydrates, but is, in fact, inversely related to carbohydrate intake (Ahmadi-Abhari 2013). This position is against the thought of most of the American public. He then looks at meat and finds from a source that “red meat consumption was positively associated with the risk of T2D (Type-2 diabetes)” (Pan 2011, 6-7). He then again sees that the American Diabetes Association has a section of recipes on their website that have red meat within them (What the Health 2017).
The last disease Anderson evaluates throughout the film is cardiovascular disease. Anderson argues that meat is the primary stiffener of American’s arteries through a British journal that states that “present findings indicate the pro-inflammatory stimulants of TLR2 and TLR4 can be present at levels of potential biological significance in many foodstuffs common to the Western diet” (Erridge 2010, 22). TLR2 and TLR4 are most commonly seen in red and processed meats (Erridge 2010). Sodium also contributed to heart disease and for adults aged 20-50, the highest source of sodium (7.3%) came from chicken and chicken dishes (Drewnowski 2013). Again, on the American Heart Association website, it is suggested that one should eat poultry and fish (What the Health 2017).
Anderson found that Dannon, Kraft Foods, and Bumble Bee Foods sponsor the American Diabetes Association. All of these companies are large processed meat and dairy organizations, and for Anderson this shows why the American Diabetes Association would have meat recipes on their website. Tyson and Yum! Brands sponsored the American Cancer Society. KFC, Dietz & Watson Processed Meats, and Yoplait yogurt sponsored Susan G. Komen. Finally, a plethora of meat, dairy, and processed foods producers sponsored the American Heart Association. Not only have these organizations been influenced by the meat and dairy industries, all three of the major organizations have accepted millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry (What the Health 2017). This showed the corruption of these organizations that are supposed to look over the health of the American people. Anderson believed this was all a part of the bigger scheme of these giant health organizations and government to funnel money into the dairy and meat industry. He uses this idea to show the power and purity behind a vegan diet (What the Health 2017). Anderson’s view on a vegan diet and many of the ways he sets up his argument will be found in the “Perspectives and Controversies” section of this entry.
Context
The history of modern-day veganism starts with Donald Watson. Donald Watson coined the term in 1944 and defined it as “a diet free of animal products” (Pendergrast 2016, 106). This definition was changed in 1951 by The Vegan Society to “seeking ‘to end the use of animals by man for food, commodities, work, hunting, vivisection and all other uses involving exploitation of animal life by man’” (Pendergrast 2016, 106). The difference between these two definitions has caused a divide within the Vegan community as to whether it is an animal-rights movement or a diet. That being said, the spread of the term “veganism” has allowed for a more accepting environment for vegans (Pendergrast 2016). Veganism is growing within mainstream American culture, but the more mainstream veganism becomes the more likely it is to be referred to in the Watson definition as a diet term rather than the broader, philosophical term that The Vegan Society created in 1951. A lot of the time, these two definitions go hand-in-hand, but becoming a vegan now does not mean that an individual has to embrace the “animal rights ideology” (Pendergrast 2016, 107). According to Nick Pendergrast, the number of vegans in the United States is tough to conclude as there is not a large enough sample size in most studies, but the highest figure appeared in 2003 where 1.8% of Americans were reported to be vegans (Pendergrast 2016). The health problems or solutions associated with veganism are being heavily discussed in the common day, and What the Health delves into this issue head on. What the Health aims to make this lifestyle choice even more justified than their mainstream image today. Anderson casts those against veganism as almost immoral, evil, or may even have a death wish (What the Health 2017). This is all to make the audience see veganism in a different light than it is typically viewed.
Perspectives and Controversies
Kip Anderson’s idea at the end of What the Health is that veganism is the way to truly take health into one’s own hands and away medical and pharmaceutical industry. Anderson again touches the fact that meat has been shown to lead to increase in diabetes, cancer, and heart disease (What the Health 2017). Anderson also found that 88% of pork chops, 90% of ground beef, and 95% of chicken breasts were found to be contaminated with fecal bacteria (FDA 2010). Anderson believes that protein is not a concern in vegan diets as “a careful look at the founding scientific research and some simple math prove it is impossible to design an amino acid-deficient diet based on the amounts of unprocessed starches and vegetables sufficient to meet the calorie needs of humans” (McDougall 2002, 1). Plants are loaded with protein and as long as a mixture of grains, legumes, and vegetables are eaten, protein is not a concern (Physicians Committee 2015). Anderson also argues that gaining valuable nutrients and vitamins is easier achieved through a vegan diet and that “plant-based diets may be a practical solution to prevent and treat chronic diseases” (Tuso 2013). This is because these vegan diets are “nutrient dense” (Tuso 2013).
Anderson continues his argument to show that a vegan diet can help to treat heart disease, diabetes, and cancer as well as the complications that follow these diseases (What the Health 2017). A vegan diet is shown to reduce “the recurrence rate [of coronary heart disease] by a range of 30% to 70%” (de Lorgeril 1999, 779). This is backed by a study that argues that a vegan diet could lower cholesterol vastly (Wang 2015). It is also shown in What the Health that a plant-based diet can suppress the growth of prostate and breast cancer cells (Barnard 2006). This is diagrammed in the film through a graphic that explains that if you put human cancer cells in a petri dish, those with vegan blood dripped onto these cells have about a 72% repression in human prostate cancer cell growth and breast cancer cell growth (What the Health 2017).
This side of the argument matters as it could save the United States healthcare industry billions of dollars. If heart disease ceased to exist in the United States, the U.S. would save $48 trillion (What the Health 2017). In the documentary, they show this statistic through a bar graph that shows this figure compared to the GDP of the United States. The $48 trillion is three times the height of the GDP of the United States. This $48 trillion comes from an economic model that is calculated through “(i) the social value of increased longevity that took place from 1970 to 1990 and, (ii) the social value of potential future progress against various major categories of disease” (Murphy 1999, 1). If Anderson’s assertions are true, a huge conspiracy would be unveiled between health care organizations, pharmaceutical companies, beef and dairy companies, and the government. The intertwinement of all of these industries would be working at the disadvantage of the American public, feeding the public poor advise and fattening our children while putting money into their own pockets.
What the Health was incredibly controversial upon release. The documentary was “criticized by some health professionals for exaggerating weak data and misrepresenting science to promote a diet that avoids all animal foods” (Sifferlin 2017, 1). It is argued that the link between a meat-based diet and cancer is there, but weaker than shown in the film. Findings by the World Health Organization show that about “34,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meat, while about 1 million cancer deaths are due to tobacco smoking” (WHO 2015, 1). Another source, Diet Doctor, reviewed the movie’s claims, the results are in Figure 1:
Figure 1: Chart showing claims from What the Health (Teicholz 2016)
This chart created by Nina Teicholz of Diet Doctor uses a color-coded system to label if a claim can be supported. Highlights in red cannot support the claim, highlights in yellow are a weak claim, and items in green support the claim (Teicholz 2017). As the chart shows, peer-reviewed scientific evidence does not support most of the claims. This is not to say this is an entirely accurate chart, but it does show not to take every aspect of the documentary as fact.
Another feature of the documentary that can be disputed is if a vegan diet is truly the best diet for the majority of the American public. As mentioned in What the Health, there are deficiencies in a vegan diet. The most notable being a lack of vitamin B-12. Almost 80% of vegans are still lacking in vitamin B-12, which leads to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and other health issues (Woo 2014). One has to be very calculated and detailed when planning a vegan diet, otherwise there can be deficiencies in vitamin D, iron, vitamin B-12, and iron (Craig 2009). Peter Clarys, chair of human biology at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium (Heid 2016), suggested that a plant heavy diet with a little meat, fish, and eggs is optimal (Clarys 2014). It is important to know the facts of the argument surrounding veganism and the healthcare industry. To be able to prevent and reverse heart disease, diabetes, and cancer is crucial in saving people’s lives and money. The debate surrounding veganism will continue to evolve. What the Health has made its side clear, while many others in the medical field dispute the findings from the documentary. The issue will require further evaluation by experts in a vast number of fields.
Politics of Health
What the Health is related to the politics of health because it has major implications regarding pharmaceuticalisation. Pharmaceuticalisation “denotes the translation or transformation of human conditions, capabilities and capacities into opportunities for pharmaceutical intervention” (Williams 2015, 20). The conclusion of What the Health aims to show that veganism can be a tool to halt pharmaceuticalisation. Certain individuals in the documentary break away from taking pharmaceuticals everyday through a vegan diet. There are multiple examples of patients with diabetes and other diseases that are able to cut their number of meds in half or even completely. This is a form of depharmaceuticalisation, moving away from prescribing drugs, and being able to alleviate disease through diet and lifestyle. This depharmaceuticalisation can also be seen through the prior examples of a plant-based diet being able to suppress breast and prostate cancer growth (Barnard 2006) and being able to cut heart attacks with a plant-based diet and exercise (Harvard 2014). What the Health hopes to break the link between pharmaceutical companies and the consumer through veganism, which works in opposition of pharmaceuticalisation.
What the Health is also related to the politics of health because a demedicalization occurs throughout the film. Medicalization is “defining a problem in medical terms, usually as an illness or disorder, or using a medical intervention to treat it” (Conrad 2005, 3). Much like depharmaceuticalisation, the filmmakers believe that the best way to treat these diseases is not “medical intervention” but a plant-based diet. Anderson believes that a vegan diet is all that is needed to avoid the medical field. This can also be seen in his distrust of the major health organizations which are a product of medicalization. What the Health is a call of movement away from the overarching medical and pharmaceutical industries and putting the power of health back into the hands of the consumer through individual diet and lifestyle.
In a different light, What the Health could be a case of stigmatizing rhetoric, which is a term, introduced by Jonathan Metzl, that is “a Goffmanian perspective, affirmation of one’s own health depends on the constant recognition, and indeed the creation, of the spoiled health of others” (Metzl 2010, 5). At many times during the What the Health, it seems as Anderson’s belief is that all non-vegans are dying through their practices. To the filmmakers, veganism is justified by the problems of a meat-based diet (What the Health 2017). This is prevalent throughout the film, as the discussion almost always discusses the issues of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. The two stories of Jane Chapman and Michael Abdalla exhibits this rhetoric through disease. Jane Chapman is a woman with severe bilateral osteoarthritis of the hips and back before going animal product free. After a few weeks of going animal product free, she could walk normally without her walker and no longer needed to take her medications. Michael Abdalla is a man who was diagnosed with diabetes ten years prior to the film and heavily relied on animal products in his lifetime. After he gave up animal products, he lost almost 30 pounds and he was able to cut his medications in half with the goal of cutting them completely (What the Health 2017). These two examples go to show that the model, healthy individual is the one who gives up animal products; however, those who do not are seen as unhealthy, upholding the stigmatizing rhetoric of What the Health. What the Health uses this stigmatizing rhetoric to try to persuade the viewer that their side of health is, in fact, healthier by showing that the convention diet is “spoiled” (Metzl 2010, 5).
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What the Health. Directed by Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn, performance by Kip Anderson, 2017.
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