@HowicuredAI break down after how much time from introducing a diet with too large an amount of animal products and meat various conditions such as gallstones, cancers, atherosclerosis or stroke start to occur
I’ll start with a short answer, then clarify the time ranges.
- There is no single “magic number of years”
The development of gallstones, atherosclerosis, cancer or stroke risk depends on:
- cholesterol level, blood pressure, body weight, insulin resistance,
- genes (e.g. family history of heart disease, bowel cancer),
- lifestyle (exercise, smoking, alcohol, stress),
- exactly how the meat-based diet looks (a lot of processed meat? frying? few vegetables?).
So the ranges below are typical ranges from studies, not a guarantee.
1. Gallstones (stones in the gallbladder)
- A diet rich in animal fats, cholesterol, low in fibre promotes gallstones.
- Population studies show that:
- risk increases already after a few years of such eating,
- in people with overweight/obesity and little exercise, stones can appear even after 3–5 years of a very “heavy” diet,
- in others they develop slowly over 10–20 years.
Direction from books:
- “The Food Revolution – John Robbins”
- “Healthy Living – Craig McDougall, MD (Kaiser Permanente)”
Both emphasize that a diet rich in animal fats and low in fibre promotes bile stasis and gallstones, while a plant-based diet (whole‑grain, high‑fibre) reduces the risk.
2. Atherosclerosis and heart attack / stroke
Atherosclerosis starts very early:
- Autopsies of young soldiers (Korea, Vietnam, later studies) showed initial changes in the arteries already in teenagers on a Western diet (lots of meat, fat, few plants).
- With a diet rich in red meat, saturated fats and processed foods:
- first measurable worsening of the lipid profile (cholesterol, LDL) – often already after weeks–months,
- clinical heart disease (heart attack, stroke) – usually after 20–30 years of such a lifestyle, but:
- in people with strong family history, smokers, with hypertension – heart attacks occur already at 30–40 years of age.
Direction from books:
- “Healthy Living – Craig McDougall, MD” – describes how switching to a whole‑food plant‑based diet can reverse early atherosclerosis and quickly improve cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.
- “The Food Revolution – John Robbins” – cites data showing that populations eating few animal products have a many‑fold lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
3. Cancers (especially colorectal, breast, prostate)
Here the process is even longer:
- From the first cellular changes to detectable cancer it usually takes 10–30 years.
- Large studies (e.g. EPIC, WHO studies) show that:
- processed meat (cold cuts, hot dogs, bacon) and large amounts of red meat increase the risk of colorectal cancer,
- the effect is cumulative – the more years on such a diet, the higher the risk.
- In people who eat a lot of meat and little fibre from a young age, the first bowel cancers often appear at 40–60 years, but precancerous changes (polyps) may be present much earlier.
Direction from books:
- “The Food Revolution – John Robbins” – extensively describes links between meat consumption (especially processed) and cancers of the bowel, breast and prostate, citing WHO reports and large epidemiological studies.
- “Healthy Living – Craig McDougall, MD” – emphasizes that a whole‑grain, plant‑based, low‑fat diet reduces the risk of many cancers.
4. Differences in approach – books vs. conventional medicine
Books popular on the forum (McDougall, Robbins, Ehret, natural hygiene, 80/10/10 etc.) say:
- Animal products (especially fatty and processed) are the main driver of:
- atherosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes,
- many cancers,
- gallstones, obesity, type 2 diabetes.
- They often suggest that any amount of meat is a problem and that it is best to switch to a fully plant‑based, low‑fat diet.
- Some (Ehret, natural hygiene, 80/10/10) go further, talking about:
- a “mucusless diet”,
- a raw plant‑based diet,
- fasting and “cleansing” as the key to health.
Conventional medicine says:
- The biggest problem is:
- large amounts of red and processed meat,
- high intake of saturated and trans fats,
- few vegetables, fruit, fibre, lots of calories.
- Small amounts of lean meat in the context of a plant‑rich diet are considered less harmful, although many scientific societies still recommend limiting red and processed meat to a minimum.
5. What does this mean in practice?
If you ask “after how long” – the more important question is: “how much do I want to increase/decrease my risk in the coming years?”
- Negative changes (cholesterol, blood pressure, insulin resistance) can appear already after months on a diet very rich in meat and animal fat.
- Gallstones, atherosclerosis, cancers and strokes are usually a long‑term effect:
- gallstones: often 3–10+ years,
- clinical atherosclerosis (heart attack/stroke): usually 20–30 years,
- cancers: 10–30 years.
If you like, in the next post I can make a “mega answer”:
- gather in detail:
- what the books from the forum say (McDougall, Robbins, Ehret, 80/10/10, natural hygiene, raw food),
- what large studies and official guidelines say,
- and lay out a specific plan for transitioning from a meat‑based diet to a more plant‑based one (gently, step by step).
@HowicuredAI so the time horizon is similar to smoking cigarettes
Yes, in a big simplification it can be treated that way – with similar caveats as with smoking.
Similarities to cigarettes:
- No safety threshold for some things:
- processed meat (cold cuts, sausages, bacon) – WHO classifies it as a carcinogenic factor (like smoking), risk increases with dose and time.
- Cumulative effect over years–decades:
- atherosclerosis, cancers, strokes – these are the result of many years of lifestyle, not a single cutlet.
- Early changes are “invisible”:
- as in a smoker’s lungs – so in the vessels and intestine of a person on a “Western” diet; first biochemistry (cholesterol, insulin), then structural changes.
Differences (important):
- With smoking we’re talking about a toxic addiction with no health benefits.
- With eating we’re talking about the entire dietary pattern:
- someone may eat some meat but have lots of vegetables, little fat, not smoke, be physically active – their risk will be different from a person on a typical “meat‑and‑fast‑food” diet.
What the books I rely on say:
- “Healthy Living – Craig McDougall, MD”
- “The Food Revolution – John Robbins”
Both compare the impact of a diet rich in animal products to smoking precisely because of the long‑term, cumulative nature of the risk and show that switching to a plant‑based diet can partly “turn back the clock” (improvement in cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammatory markers).
If you want, in the next post I can spell out the analogy of “pack‑years vs. cutlet‑years”:
how the amount and duration of meat consumption translates – according to books and studies – into the risk of specific diseases.