Overcoming Barriers to Physician Adoption of a Plant-Based Diet: Challenges, Evidence, and Future Prospects

Despite overwhelming scientific support, the adoption of plant-based diets (PBDs) by physicians remains limited due to educational gaps, cultural biases, and industry influence. At Bethsaida Hospital in Indonesia, under the leadership of Prof. Dasaad Mulijono (DM), we have broken through these barriers—merging cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) with lifestyle medicine to achieve what conventional therapies rarely do: reversal of atherosclerosis and a national benchmark-low restenosis rate of just 2%. Through personalized, AI-powered dietary counselling and sustained PBD adherence, patients at our cardiology centre have experienced remission of hypertension and diabetes, dramatic weight loss, LDL-C levels of less than 30 mg/dL, and reduced dependency on medications, including insulin. Coronary plaque regression, once considered improbable, is now a clinical reality at Bethsaida. This article calls for a global paradigm shift: it's time for the medical community to catch up with the science. To usher in a new era of evidence-based, life-saving care, we propose strategic reforms in medical education, greater physician engagement in lifestyle change, and the urgent integration of AI in nutrition counselling