Through Dr Greger's videos, I learnt a bit about diverticulosis, a nasty disorder of our guts. I was surprised to know that 50% of those above 60 years of age in USA have diverticulsis! Wow! Before 2019, I'd never heard of this disease before. When I mention diverticulosis to my friends in their 40s, they draw a blank! None of them has heard of it either!

Dr Greger's first video (see below) explains that diverticulosis was virtually non-existant in USA about a hundred years ago! In 2020, it is the #1 disease of the intestines. What exactly is it? And what has changed in the last 100 years that we see so many cases of this disease?

A visual analogy: when diverticulosis occurs, our intestines are like a bicycle tire which is so clogged that small balloons start forming in our guts due to high pressure inside the tire. The so-called "out-pouchings of our colon" -- yucky looking!

Can diverticulosis be reversed? In other words, do these "out-pouchings" go away with any intervention? Don't know. I can't imagine how… my gut instinct says, "better not to get it these the first place!"

What causes diverticulosis? Researchers attribute it primarily to "lack of dietary fiber".

Where is dietary fiber found? Exclusively in plants. Animal products don't have it. So a good reason to avoid a serious disease of the intestines in old age is to consume a lot of fiber (in other words, a lot of plants)!

Articles:

• (2017) Dr Greger: 9 out of 10 That Die From it Never Knew They Even Had This Preventable Disease
• Diverticulosis (article by Dr Greger).
• (2009) Epidemiology and Pathophysiology of Diverticular Disease, Matrana MR, Margolin Dev Anand, Clin Colon Rectal Surg 2009;22(3):141-146. This paper explains that the primary factor for diverticulosis is believed to be dietary deficiency in fiber. Additional factors that seem to play a role include inflammation, NSAIDs (non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs), smoking, lack of physical exercise, caffeine and alcohol ingestion.
• (2011) Dr McDougall: Diet Causes Diverticular Disease
• PCRM Nutrition Guide: Diverticular Disease

Could WFPB (Whole Food Plant-Based Diet) prevent onset of diverticulosis? Yeah! As Dr Greger explains, WFPB is anti-inflammatory and rich in fiber. In fact, fiber is found exclusively in plants; WFPB guidelines emphasize intake of plant foods in their whole form (not processed), thereby maximizing fiber intake! Also, when we follow WFPB, we don't consume alcohol and we exercise daily.