Eat to Beat Disease

“Drug treatments alone cannot keep us healthy. The question then becomes, how can we do a better job at preventing disease, before we have to cure it?”

Li’s rhetorical question encourages a shift from reactive healthcare toward prevention, underscoring his central argument that food is a tool for preventing disease. He contrasts “treatments” with “prevention” to highlight the importance of early dietary interventions, employing juxtaposition as a literary device to reinforce his point.

“Food is easily accessible, and dietary interventions do not rely on expensive pharmaceutical treatments.”

This quote contrasts food and pharmaceutical interventions, positioning food as an accessible, affordable alternative to medications. The statement emphasizes Li’s argument that individuals can take control of their health through dietary changes; this is a simple option compared to the complex “pharmaceutical treatments” that some might not even have access to due to financial barriers. This aspect of Li’s argument makes it appealing to a broad audience.

“Your body has a remarkable defense system that keeps microscopic cancers small by starving them of the blood supply and nutrients they would need to grow.”

Li uses personification to describe the body’s natural defenses as active agents that are “starving” cancers to prevent their growth. This quote introduces angiogenesis as a critical biological process, reinforcing the theme of The Role of Angiogenesis in Disease Prevention. It also highlights the idea that the body is equipped with powerful mechanisms to prevent disease.