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The book "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy" is a book that has been revised and updated multiple times over the years to include the most current scientific research on nutrition. The book is authored by Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, who is a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard University. Willett is a highly respected figure in the field of nutrition due to his involvement in the Nurses' Health Study, which is a large-scale study that has had a significant impact on nutritional research.
In addition to "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy", he also wrote a textbook called "Nutritional Epidemiology" which is commonly used in college courses. The book provides general dietary advice to readers with simple recommendations such as moderate alcohol consumption, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and reducing intake of red and processed meats. However, the book also includes important caveats that readers should be aware of.
EDBH states seven pieces of “actionable advice” for healthy eating: Fruits and vegetables are good for your heart and overall health, while saturated and trans fats are bad for your heart and health. Protein from plants and lean meats is better than protein from red and processed meats, but soy protein is not as well understood.
It is important to keep in mind that when researching the link between diet and conditions like heart disease, cancer, or age-related mental decline, these conditions can take a lifetime to develop. This makes it very difficult to conduct the gold standard research method of a randomized clinical trial. Instead, most nutrition science on these topics comes from epidemiological studies. These are not as reliable as clinical trials, but can still be helpful in making associations.
The claim that eating lots of fruits and vegetables is good for your health seems to be supported by scientific evidence. Trans fats appear to have a negative impact on heart health, while saturated fats may also have a negative effect on heart health. The claim that protein is good for you appears to be supported by some evidence, but there is also conflicting evidence that suggests this may not be the case.
The book contains standard nutritional advice that you have probably heard before, such as eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, reducing your consumption of red and processed meats, and cutting down on sugar, potatoes, and white flour. The most unusual view in the book is that adults may not need as much calcium as is commonly thought. Most of the claims in the book are supported by scientific evidence. Additionally, EDBH allows for its advice to be applied to a wide variety of dietary patterns and preferences and often favors reducing intake of foods it has deemed to be subpar rather than outright restriction.
Many people believe that taking a multivitamin is a waste of money, as the vitamins are excreted in urine. However, there may be some benefits to taking a multivitamin, such as preventing nutrient deficiencies.
Multivitamins are often recommended to people as a way to make up for vitamins and minerals that they might not be getting enough of in their diet. A randomized controlled trial on older men showed that taking a multivitamin reduced the risk of cancer, particularly colon cancer. A meta-analysis of cohort studies supports this, suggesting that the benefits may be due to the calcium. Another meta-analysis from 2019 concluded that vitamin D supplementation does reduce the risk of dying from cancer, but not its development. These results indicate some benefit from calcium and vitamin D supplementation.