Neal D. Barnard (born 10 July 1953) is an American physician, researcher, animal rights advocate, and founding president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). Barnard has authored books advocating a whole-food, plant-based diet.
Early life and education Barnard was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota. He received his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine,Faculty profile on George Washington University Website where he began exploring vegan diets. He is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology,The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology database, accessed 21 November 2017. a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a lifetime member of the American Medical Association.
In an interview with VegNews, Barnard said that seeing a clogged coronary artery while working in a hospital morgue early in his career influenced his interest in diet and heart disease. Career Barnard founded Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in 1985 to promote preventive medicine.Evelyn Theiss,"Author Dr. Neal Barnard encourages plant-based, vegan diet," The Plain Dealer, 19 April 2011. By 2016, the Washington D.C.–based PCRM had 150,000 members, including 12,000 physicians, and reported revenues of more than $20 million.Helen Mondloch, "Living Well with Dr. Neal Barnard," Northern Virginia," 20 October 2017"Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine," Charity Navigator, accessed 13 November 2017. He appeared in the documentaries Super Size Me (2004), Forks Over Knives (2011), PlantPure Nation (2015), and What the Health (2017). Since 2003, Barnard has served as an adjunct professor of medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine. In January 2016, Barnard founded the Barnard Medical Center in Washington, D.C., which provides primary care with a focus on nutrition guidance.
In 2006, Barnard completed a National Institutes of Health-funded trial to test the impact of diet on blood sugar control in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
In his active practice, Barnard works with patients with diabetes, obesity, and other conditions in clinical research protocols.
In 2011, Barnard was inducted into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame of the North American Vegetarian Society during its summer conference, where he has occasionally spoken.Inductees, Vegetarian Hall of Fame, North American Vegetarian Society website
In February 2013, Barnard's self-help book Power Foods for the Brain: An Effective 3-Step Plan to Protect Your Mind and Strengthen Your Memory was published. Reviewing it, biological psychologist David O Kennedy noted that the book provides a practical guide to lifestyle changes that may benefit general health and brain function for readers with poor diets or prediabetic risk factors. He also cautioned that Barnard's strict vegan approach may be difficult to follow and could raise anxiety about cognitive decline.
By 2019, Barnard had authored 20 books, including The Vegan Starter Kit: Everything You Need to Know about Plant-based Eating.
He has hosted four PBS television programs on nutrition and health.
Suzy Amis Cameron credited Barnard with helping establish vegan meals at Muse, an environmental school in California.
Diabetes Barnard has led many studies assessing the role of diet in diabetes and other health conditions.
Barnard authored the 2009 book Dr Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes. It argues that a low-fat vegan diet can stabilize blood sugar and insulin function and minimize medication within weeks. Jim Mann has commented that although a low-fat vegan diet can help to promote weight loss to manage diabetes "some of the claims made by the author are overrated; in particular, to imply that Type 1 diabetes can be reversed is mischievous".
Elaine Rush stated that although the book does include some sound advice, "not all diabetes can be reversed and therefore the title of this book is misleading." She also suggested that Barnard's low-fat vegan diet would not be suitable for children or pregnant women without expert support. Peter Lipson of Science-Based Medicine has criticized Barnard's views on low-fat vegan diets reversing type 2 diabetes as based on only one study, commenting "This is not a study on which to hang an entire medical philosophy". According to Lipson, weight loss is more important than a specific type of diet in determining diabetes improvement and the idea that a particular diet is a panacea is untrue.
Selected publications Books
Dr Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes (Rodale Press, 2009) The Cheese Trap: How Breaking a Surprising Addiction Will Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Get Healthy (Grand Central Publishing, 2017) Your Body in Balance: The New Science of Food, Hormones, and Health (Grand Central Publishing, 2020)
Additional Research Dr. Barnard was the Principal Investigator of the Women's Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms (WAVS) study, which compared a dietary intervention versus no intervention for women with menopausal hot flashes. The results were published in the journal Menopause.
Awards Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award, 2016"Distinguished Lifestyle Medicine Awards Recipients" American College of Lifestyle Medicine – from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) 6th Plantrician Project Luminary Award, 2019Dr. Neal Barnard to be Honored as 2019 Recipient of The Plantrician Project Luminary Award, Cision PRWeb, accessed July 19, 2019 – from the Plantrician Project
Charles E. Ragus Award, 2023 – from the American Nutrition Association, for 'outstanding research paper published in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association in the past year.' (2023) Personalized Nutrition 2023 Summit Awards from the American Nutrition Association – 64th Annual Summit. American Nutrition Association. https://www.theana.org/ana-award-winners/
Distinguished Service Award, 2018 – from the Medical Society of the District of Columbia(2018) MSDC 2018 Annual Meeting and Reception. MSDC. https://members.msdc.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1071350
President's Award, 2026—from MedChi (the Maryland State Medical Society)
Personal life
Barnard plays cello, guitar, and keyboards. He has been a member of the bands Pop Maru, Verdun, and Carbonworks. Alec Baldwin once called Barnard "Eddie Van Halen with a medical degree".Editorial. Living well with Dr. Neal Barnard: A pioneer and iconoclast of startling dimensions, Dr. Neal Barnard is breaking health boundaries. Northern Virginia Magazine. October 20, 2017.
Barnard is an advocate for animal rights. His organization, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, received support from the Foundation to Support Animal Protection and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in the 1990s. See also List of animal rights advocates List of vegans
References
External links