DEAR READERS: Please see this update of an important document, as summarized by Nature.com: "Six years ago, the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) was proposed to help optimize human health globally and reduce the environmental and social harms of food systems. Now it’s been updated to address some criticisms -- such as that its recommendations didn’t take into account local needs. It also quantifies some of the benefits of eating mostly whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, with only moderate or small amounts of fish, dairy and meat.

"The diet could prevent some 40,000 early deaths each day, says the latest report, and save the world $5 trillion in food-related health and environmental costs." (See the study "The EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems" by Johan Rockstrom et al., published in The Lancet, 2025.)

Vegetarianism and veganism are not panaceas, but they are good for our health and the environment. They are a humane, ethical response to cruel factory farms. Such dietary choices are part of a more complex set of necessary sociopolitical, economic and technological correctives identified by Michael Grunwald in his 2025 book, "We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate."

DEAR READERS: Please see this essay from Philip Steir of holistic pet food company Earth Animal, in which he explains the benefits of plant-based diets for dogs. This piece also appeared on the website of noted ecologist Marc Bekoff in August.

"Dogs, just like humans, have nutrient requirements -- not ingredient requirements. Dogs don’t need meat from animals. Dogs need 10 essential amino acids (humans need nine), and all 10 can be found entirely from plants, fungi and microorganisms. It’s really not about where protein comes from, it’s about whether it delivers all 10 amino acids and the full spectrum of nutrients, which plant-based foods can absolutely provide when properly formulated.

"Multiple peer-reviewed studies have found that dogs on plant-based diets maintain equal or superior health outcomes to meat-fed dogs. A landmark study following 2,500 dogs found that dogs on vegan diets had fewer vet visits, less medication use, and fewer health disorders overall."

(See the study "Vegan versus meat-based dog food: Guardian-reported indicators of health" by Andrew Knight et al., published in PLoS ONE, 2023.)

"Another study tracked 15 dogs over a full year on a commercial plant-based kibble (V-dog) and found no health issues, only positive results in energy, digestion and coat health." (See the study "Domestic dogs maintain clinical, nutritional, and hematological health outcomes when fed a commercial plant-based diet for a year" by Annika Linde et al., published in PLoS ONE, 2024.)

"For a dog’s long-term health and wellness, as well as disease prevention, plant-based diets offer compelling advantages (such as) improved gut health from fermentable fiber, which nourishes the microbiome and supports a dog’s immune system. Meat does not have fiber. Just like (in) humans, a plant-based diet can reduce inflammation through phytonutrients, antioxidants and fiber. Pet parents can supplement their dogs’ diets with omega-3s from sources like marine algae ... This is particularly important for dogs with kidney, heart or joint issues, skin sensitivities and inflammatory diseases.

"There is a significantly lower risk of allergy issues, since plant-based diets exclude the most common allergens, such as beef, chicken and dairy. Another overlooked aspect is the lower phosphorus content in plant proteins, which makes these diets particularly beneficial for senior dogs and those with kidney disease.

"This diet provides cleaner nutrition, too. Plant-based diets avoid contaminants commonly found in meat-based foods, such as heavy metals, antibiotics, dioxins and 4-D meats (from animals that were dead, dying, diseased or disabled)."

ELEPHANTS, PEOPLE AND CANCER

Elephants, compared to humans, very rarely get cancer. This is thought to be due to them having 20 copies of tumor suppressor gene p53, while humans have only two, according to one analysis. (See the study "The Elephant Evolved p53 Isoforms that Escape MDM2-Mediated Repression and Cancer" by Monikaben Padariya et al., published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2022.) Elephants are also vegan, thriving on a plant-based diet that may contribute to their cancer resistance.

People who consume plant-based diets also have a lower incidence of cancer, as per one recent study from Oxford Population Health. From a summary on ndph.ox.ac.uk: “Compared with regular meat-eaters, the risk of developing any type of cancer was lower in low meat-eaters (2% less), fish-eaters (10% less), and vegetarians (14% less). This means that the absolute reduction in cancer diagnoses for vegetarians was 13 fewer per 1,000 people over 10 years, in comparison to regular meat-eaters."

A survey of cancer rates in animals in zoos found carnivores, such as panthers, have a much higher rate of cancer than herbivores, such as antelopes. (See the study "Cancer risk across mammals" by Orsolya Vincze et al., published in Nature, 2022.) Considering that we cannot change our genetic susceptibility to cancer, but we can change our diets, health insurance companies should provide lower premiums for vegetarians and vegans to incentivize good nutrition associated with preventive health care.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: It is time to adapt, help all in need, and stop burning fossil fuels. According to a 2024 article on LiveScience.com, “Aridity is now impacting 40% of the world’s agricultural land and 2.3 billion people, causing intensified wildfires, agricultural collapse and spurring growing mass migrations. Areas particularly hard hit include almost all of Europe, the western United States, Brazil, eastern Asia, and central Africa.” (Full story: LiveScience.com, Dec. 4, 2024)

According to an August report on ScienceAlert.com, “terrestrial water is, on the whole, diminishing, with devastating effects worldwide. That includes freshwater sources on the surface, like lakes and rivers, and also groundwater stored in aquifers deep below Earth’s surface. The majority of the human population -- 75% of us -- live in the 101 countries where fresh water is being lost at increasing rates.” (Full story: ScienceAlert.com, Aug. 18)

“Areas of the planet ‘getting wetter’ and experiencing ‘wet extremes’ are another new feature (that are) decreasing in size ... while increasing in intensity,” wrote Robert Hunziker On CounterPunch.org in September. This scenario “paradoxically serves to complement dryness, leading to extreme mega-dry regions with serious vulnerability to wildfires.”

Hunziker quotes John Marsham, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Leeds, who said, “Our entire infrastructure and civilization are based around a climate that no longer exists.” (Full story: CounterPunch.org, Sept. 12)

DAME DR. JANE GOODALL: PRIMATOLOGIST AND ACTIVIST

The news of the death of this remarkable woman, at age 91, has spread around the world. I join millions in mourning her passing and reflecting on the gifts of her work and dedication.

According to Wikipedia, “Goodall credited the 1986 Understanding Chimpanzees conference, hosted by the Chicago Academy of Sciences, with shifting her focus from observation of chimpanzees to a broader and more intense concern with animal-human conservation.” I met her around this time, when she visited the Humane Society of the U.S., where I served as a vice president and scientific director. We agreed that all concerned citizens should collaborate to end all biomedical and military exploitation of chimpanzees.

Dr. Goodall’s legacy lives on as a pioneer in connecting us with our closet living relatives, long endangered and abused. She is remembered for promoting respect and compassion for animals and nature, and is honored in environmental and humane education programs in schools around the world.

Dr. Goodall filmed an interview in March with the understanding it would be released after her death. For more, go to: netflix.com/tudum/articles/jane-goodall-famous-last-words-documentary.

PLANT-BASED DOG FOOD BENEFITS ALL AROUND

An analysis of commercially available dry dog foods in the U.K. has revealed that plant-based formulations generate lower environmental impacts compared to meat-based alternatives. The University of Nottingham study examined 31 dry dog foods across five categories: plant-based, poultry-based, beef-based, lamb-based and veterinary renal diets. Researchers found that plant-based options consistently required fewer resources and produced lower emissions across all measured environmental metrics.

For details, see the study “Environmental impact of feeding plant-based vs. meat-based dry dog foods in the United Kingdom” by R.A. Brociek and D.S. Gardner, published in Frontiers in Nutrition-Nutrition and Sustainable Diets, 2025.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: So many states are experiencing their warmest falls ever recorded. The cause is the extreme warming of the North Pacific Ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This warming has pushed the jet stream further north, drawing hot, moist air with it.

Marine biologists are sounding the alarm that ocean warming is beginning to kill plankton, which are the primary food source for the entire chain of ocean life, and which provide more atmospheric oxygen than all the forests combined.

Since 2009, researchers in Germany have been tracking “nine geophysical limits that make up a sort of planetary life-support system; staying within these limits, they argue, is the best hope for maintaining the clement climatic conditions we and most of Earth’s other denizens have adapted to,” per a recent report on ScientificAmerican.com. As of 2025, humans have pushed Earth past seven of these nine boundaries. The latest line to be crossed: Levels of ocean acidification have now exceeded a critical threshold.

“Ocean acidification can have profound impacts on marine ecosystems by depleting seawater of certain carbon compounds that corals and other shell-building animals need to construct their protective homes,” reads the report. “At low enough pH levels, corals and shells can even begin to dissolve. These effects could destabilize entire ecosystems and devastate many commercially valuable species, such as oysters.” Read the full story here: scientificamerican.com/article/ocean-acidification-threshold-pushes-earth-past-another-planetary-boundary.

To counteract this, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should have an action plan to get President Trump to rejoin the Paris Agreement, and to do better than China, which has pledged to reduce emissions. Much more action is needed.

DEAR DR. FOX: Thank you for publishing my “rich get richer” message in a recent column. It appeared in the Clayton (Georgia) Press, which is in a seriously red area, so hopefully it will do some good.

One of my go-to prayers these days is “Deliver us from evil.” With Trump raving about imaginary violence and spreading more hate and divisiveness, we are living in a nightmare. I’m going to keep plugging away and doing what I can until the black SUVs come for me (hopefully not!). Thanks for all you do; consciousness-raising is the first step to behavior change. -- D.C., Otto, North Carolina

DEAR D.C.: You confirm that we are not alone in our concerns for nonviolent civil disobedience and opposition to political violence. Social media is also very harmful when it fosters violence and facilitates the divide-and-conquer ethos of authoritarian regimes and sociopathic acolytes, as well as racism, sexism and speciesism. Freedom of speech is not without responsibility for consequences.

Also, as you have pointed out, the concentration of money and power disrupts the balance between capitalism and socialism. The yardstick of GDP -- gross domestic product -- needs to be recalibrated, according to one detailed analysis. It states:

”Although global gross domestic product (GDP) has more than doubled, our median results show a modest achievement in reducing human deprivation that would have to accelerate five-fold to meet the needs of all people by 2030. ... These trends and inequalities reaffirm the case for overcoming the dependence of nations on perpetual GDP growth and reorienting towards regenerative and distributive economic activity -- within and between nations -- that assigns priority to human needs and planetary integrity.” For details, see “Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries monitors a world out of balance” by Andrew Fanning and Kate Raworth, published in Nature in October.

GDP growth should be in concord with planetary CPR: conservation, protection and restoration. This should be at the top of the agenda of governments and corporations around the world.

PANDEMICS: HOW NATURE STRIKES BACK

Epidemiologists -- scientists who investigate the origin of emerging, potentially pandemic, diseases -- are unanimous in ringing the alarm bell as our expanding population continues to exploit and consume various animal species -- some wild, some farmed and some sold in open markets. When a virus jumps from an animal to infect a human, it is called a zoonotic disease. One example is rabies, hence the need for vaccinations. The influenza virus is a continuing challenge, jumping from pigs and poultry to people and constantly mutating to make vaccinations outdated when a new variant spreads.

Until we collectively stop exploiting animals as a source of food, causing them considerable suffering in the process, we will continue to suffer the consequences to the detriment of public health, the economy and ecological biodiversity. The latter is the cornerstone of One Health, now threatened by climate change.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)