International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention

Welcome to Volume 8, Number 1

Kim Allan Williams Sr. — 2026-03-24

Sponsorship

Claire Shivers — 2026-03-24

Quantifying Patient Interest in Plant-Based Diets in Primary and Specialty Medical Practices

Brittany A. Long — 2025-12-18

Introduction:

Extensive research highlights the significant impact of plant-based diets (PBD) in reducing chronic disease rates and improving mortality outcomes. Despite these benefits, the implementation of PBD remains challenging due to multiple barriers faced by patients and their physicians. This study was designed to objectively evaluate patients’ interest in PBD and to explore opportunities for overcoming physician barriers.

Methods:

Twenty-nine physician practices in the United States and Canada were surveyed to evaluate patient interest in PBD. Colorful posters and nutrition cards outlining the benefits of PBD were placed in all exam rooms for 15-20 clinic days. Data on patient interactions, including the number of Quick Response (QR) code clicks to a webpage and the number of nutrition cards taken by patients, were collected. The percentage of each, relative to the total number of patient visits during the study period, was used to indicate patient interest in PBD. Physicians also completed pre- and post-study questionnaires.

Results:

A total of 10,508 patients from nine primary care and twenty subspecialty practices were included in this study. In the 29 individual physician practices, an average of 11.5% (range: 2% to 33.5%) of patients took a physical copy of the nutrition card, while 3.1% (range: 0% to 8%) scanned the QR code on a poster. Sixty-six percent of physician respondents felt their perception of patient interest in plant-based diets changed positively with the study. Physicians also felt the barriers to discussing PBD decreased after the study.

Conclusion:

Simple clinic-based interventions can promote plant-based nutrition for patients and physicians as well as aid in reducing physician barriers to doing so. Colorful visual tools such as posters with QR codes and nutrition cards led to measurable patient interest and the majority of physicians experienced favorable shifts in their perceptions of PBD. This information can be adapted across multiple specialties to support positive lifestyle changes in patients.

Sustained Reversal of Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 5, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, and Obesity via Whole Food Plant-Based Diet and Mild Exercise: A Case Report

William Stauffer — 2025-12-18

The trajectory of patients with chronic kidney disease stage 5 (CKD-5) usually requires imminent renal replacement therapy (RRT). This report details long-term (> 5 years and continuing) avoidance of RRT in an adult with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and diagnosed CKD-5. The patient also had grade II hypertension, hyperlipidemia, class I obesity (body mass index of 34.3 kg/m2), gastro-esophageal reflux, depression, and legal blindness despite panretinal photocoagulation for diabetic retinopathy. A lifelong mild learning impairment afflicting both the patient and her spouse contributed to a sedentary lifestyle, poor dietary choices, and suboptimal medical compliance. The therapeutic intervention was a whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet and mild exercise. This intervention allowed for sustained avoidance of renal replacement therapy, improvement in renal function to CKD-4, improvement in diabetic control to a hemoglobin A1c (Hgb A1c) of 5.7 without diabetic medication, a 65-lb weight loss, normalization of blood pressure, and a reduction or cessation of various medications. To our knowledge, this is the first report of sustained reversal from CKD-5 for more than five years. It can be seen from our timelines (see timelines in graph and in text) that health improvements began shortly after the lifestyle interventions were implemented and have continued. Prior to the lifestyle intervention the patient’s health had been deteriorating rapidly (e.g., trend for estimated glomerular filtration rate). This case study report demonstrates the potentially powerful role of WFPB nutrition and mild exercise in reversing renal disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension/cardiovascular disease, and obesity.

International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine Proceedings 2025

Kim Allan Williams Sr. — 2026-03-11

The 2025 International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine was held on August 14–16, in Washington, DC, and a subset of abstracts from nutrition research presented at this continuing medical education conference are summarized here. The conference opened with a presentation on emerging strategies to address hypercholesterolemia, including approaches for patients who have not responded to prior interventions. The conference also highlighted emerging evidence on cancer prevention and treatment, new findings related to weight-loss medications, and surprising insights into the health implications of processed foods. Additionally, updated research on the clinical benefits of vegan dietary patterns was reviewed.

The program included presentations on the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the role of lifestyle interventions in influencing outcomes related to prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Additional topics addressed dietary supplements, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, menopausal hormone therapy, the impact of nutrition on skin health, and other emerging areas in nutrition science.

Partnering with Artificial Intelligence: Harnessing AI for Prevention of Preventable Deaths

Kim Allan Williams Sr. — 2026-02-16

Despite decades of medical advances, the United States continues to experience over 1.3 million preventable deaths each year. This editorial, authored using responses to queries submitted to generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT (OpenAI), highlights emerging data suggesting that scalable interventions such as plant-predominant dietary patterns, guideline-directed computerized tomography coronary calcium scanning, and AI-enabled clinical decision making can each prevent tens to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths annually. Among these, AI has the potential to reduce diagnostic and therapeutic errors. Yet adoption of these life-saving tools remains limited in the clinical setting of evaluation and management. We argue that AI must be understood not just as a digital tool but as an ethical and systems-level preventive platform. Health systems and policymakers should act urgently to integrate AI into routine care and realign incentives to support prevention. The time to act is now.

Whole Food, Whole People, Whole Communities: A Conversation with Angelia Dickinson

Kim Allan Williams Sr. — 2026-02-24

The Inaugural IJDRP Planet-Based Nutrition Editor's Choice Awards

Kim Allan Williams Sr. — 2026-02-24