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YouTubeWhat was Dr Kempner's reasoning that led him to devise his diet? In this video, Dr Greger explains:
Note: Kempner's Rice n Fruit Diet was reserved for the severely ill, to be followed under medical supervision. In this video, Dr Greger explains:
When patients recovered after following the Rice Diet, they were advised to incorporate non-leguminous veggies, potatoes, lean meat and fish (everything prepared without salt or fat). If these changes made our condition worse, then these changes were to be dropped. More details are in Dr McDougall's article on Walter Kempner.
Dr Kempner's food system was an early attempt to carve out what we today call WFPB. And it was reserved for the severely sick, not advocated as a lifestyle for prevention.
Over time, science has progressed and we have WFPB guidelines in place today! Does anybody use Kempner's Rice Diet today? In his article (see below), Dr McDougall says that he puts seriously ill patients ("on the verge of complete heart or kidney failure") on Dr Kempner's Rice Diet. For all others, we have WFPB.
A couple of books recounting Walter Kempner's Rice Diet:
A book of historical interest. Written by somebody who had first hand experience with Kempner's Rice Diet in his clinic at Durham, North Carolina. Recommneded by Dr Peter Rogers in one of his videos on Walter Kempner. This book takes us back in time and helps us understand how patients felt at Walter Kempner's facility.
Dr Kempner's Rice Diet from 1940s and 1950s is an example of an early attempt in Western medicine at carving out a plant-based intervention for severe chronic illnesses. And it was surprisingly successful!
- (2013) Dr McDougall's article on Walter Kempner. This article explains the intervention in detail.
- (2011, 275 pages) Walter Kempner and the Rice Diet by Dr Barbara Newborg, who worked with Dr Kempner for 40+ years. This book narrates medical history surrounding Dr Kempner's work.
- (2016) Introducing the Kempner Rice Diet by Dr Greger.
- (2017) Reversing Diabetic Blindness with Diet by Dr Greger.
- (2018) How to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes
- (2014) Who and What Drove Walter Kempner? The Rice Diet Revisited by Philip Klemmer, Clarence E. Grim, and Friedrich C. Luft, Hypertension, AHA 2014; 64:684-688.
- (2014) An archaeologic dig: a rice-fruit diet reverses ECG changes in hypertension by E Harvey Estes & Lauren Kerivan, J Electrocardiology Sep-Oct 2014; 47(5):599-607. This paper reviews Dr Kempner's published experience with the Rice Diet, its effectiveness with hypertension, its controversial rise to fame, and its decline in popularity with the advent of effective antihypertensive drugs.
(5 mins) Transcript. This video showcases Dr Kempner's early studies from 1940s and 1950s demonstrating reversal of diabetic retinopathy (blindness caused by diabetes), which surprised the medical community.
Companion blog article: Reversing Diabetic Blindness with Diet (2017).
(5 mins) Transcript. A history of Dr Kempner's Rice Diet from 1940s and 1950s.
(6 mins) Transcript. Mentions Dr Kempner's rice and fruit diet which was salt-free.
(7 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger explains: "Beginning in the late 1950s, drugs became available that effectively reduced blood pressure and hypertension, leading to a decreased demand for the rice diet. What conclusions can we draw from this all but forgotten therapy for hypertension? Not only was it the first effective therapy for high blood pressure; it may be equal to or more effective than our current multi-drug treatments."
(6 mins) Transcript. In this video, Dr Greger compares Dr Kempner's strange 'Rice Diet' (which Dr Kempner himself could be dangerous and should be attempted only under medical supervision) with other medical alternatives for obesity: drugs and surgical procedures.
(6 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Even when study subjects were required to eat so much that they didn't lose any weight, a plant-based diet could still reverse type 2 diabetes in a matter of weeks."
In one of his videos, Dr Peter Rogers mentions that Walter Kempner's "Rice Diet" had specific foods, carefully chosen so that the final macro ratios of carbohydrates : proteins : fats was 93:4:3. That's a super high percentage of carbohydrates, and super low percentage of proteins and fats! The diet was used for severely sick patients.
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