Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is an approach to medical practice intended to optimize decision-making by emphasizing the use of evidence from well-designed and well-conducted research. Although all medicine based on science has some degree of empirical support, EBM goes further, classifying evidence by its epistemologic strength and requiring that only the strongest types (coming from meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and randomized controlled trials) can yield strong recommendations; weaker types (such as from case-control studies) can yield only weak recommendations.
When evaluating study results from medical journals and nutrition journals we have to take into account the evidence based medicine approach. EBM as an approach requires that we consider deeply the epistemological strength which is based on the quality of the research. Well designed well conducted research include meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and the gold standard randomized controlled trials. For this reason if we use an ICO to fund research into anti-aging or life extension then we must make sure that the design of the study conducted is of the highest quality so that in the end the result can yield strong recommendations.
Question: Does a plant based diet reverse arteriosclerosis?
Based on EBM we would have to say only weak recommendation because while there is evidence of success the size of the studies aren't large enough and the mechanism behind the success isn't well elucidated. For example we do have evidence that certain populations of humans do not have or develop arteriosclerosis and that these populations also tend to have low LDL. So we in the very least can see low LDL levels are being correlated with low risk of arteriosclerosis. Is a plant based diet alone enough to cause LDL levels to be that low and does it matter when a person goes on the plant based diet? Is it most effective if a young person goes on a plant based diet as an infant in order to lower risks in adulthood? Is milk officially bad for children because it could contribute to arteriosclerosis?
EBM can help us at least to determine whether or not a new treatment has strong evidence behind it.
