STAT

Hey, Hippocrates: Food isn’t medicine. It’s just food

The concept that food is medicine, something that Hippocrates supposedly espoused, does a disservice to both food and medicine.

Hippocrates supposedly said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” I disagree. Food is not medicine.

I can hear people saying, “But, Dylan, you have type 1 diabetes and a Ph.D. in human nutritional sciences. Surely you of all people know that food has a powerful impact on health?”

I do. But that still doesn’t make food medicine.

Hippocrates’s maxim is — one that many. It is also frequently used by reputable people trying to promote the importance of healthy diets, but they should shelve it so they aren’t confused with the quacks.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from STAT

STAT2 min read
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About A Senate Probe Into Novo Pricing, A New UTI Antibiotic, And More
The U.S. Senate health committee is investigating the prices Novo Nordisk charges for its blockbuster medications Ozempic and Wegovy.
STAT2 min read
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About Lilly Buying A Plant, A Pfizer Antibiotic, And More
Eli Lilly agreed to acquire a manufacturing facility in Wisconsin from Nexus Pharmaceuticals to produce injectable medicines amid shortages of Mounjaro and Zepbound.
STAT1 min read
STAT+: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Advisers Beset By Conflicts Of Interest, Report Finds
Advisers to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a U.S. government agency tasked with ensuring the safe use of radioactive materials, were beset by conflicts of interest, report finds

Related Books & Audiobooks