Chris Kresser

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Chris Kresser
Against allopathy
Alternative medicine
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Clinically unproven
Woo-meisters
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Potentially edible!
Food woo
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Fabulous food!
Delectable diets!
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“”DHA comprises 60% of the brain".
—Chris Kresser[1]
“”Acupuncture, unlike most drugs, has the potential to cure disease.
—Chris Kresser[2]

Chris Kresser is an American acupuncturist, anti-flu vaxxer, cholesterol denialist and promoter of his own version of the paleo diet. Kresser has made a number of dangerous health suggestions. For example, he has argued against flu vaccination and recommends that pregnant mothers drink raw milk and skip the vitamin K shot for their newborns.[3][4] He thinks that everyone should eat a high-fat paleo diet.Do You Believe That?

Kresser advertises himself as a "health detective".[5] He lacks scientific education and admitted in 2019 that he does not know how to read forest plots.[6] More recently, Kresser has made pseudoscientific and unfounded claims about dietary supplements being effective nootropics.[7][8]

Irrational beliefs[edit]

Acupuncture[edit]

Kresser is a fanatical acupuncture proponent who claims that it has the potential to cure disease. He has written that acupuncture "stimulates the body’s self-healing mechanisms. And the body’s ability to heal itself far surpasses anything western medicine has to offer."[2] He provides no scientific evidence for this statement. The scientific consensus is that acupuncture is ineffective for a wide range of conditions.[9] It has been impossible to find consistent evidence for acupuncture after more than 3000 trials.[10][11]

Opposition to flu vaccination[edit]

Kresser has received criticism from medical experts for his comments against flu vaccination.[3] He dismisses any positive studies and promotes "natural" alternatives, such as bone broth, fermented cod liver oil, paleo diet and vitamin supplements.[3][12]

Vitamin K injections[edit]

Kresser argues against Vitamin K injections for newborns.[4] He made the false statement that "Vitamin K injections have not been adequately tested for safety." In reality, the injections given at birth are safe and side-effects are incredibly rare.[13][14][15][16]

Cholesterol denialism[edit]

Kresser is a cholesterol and statin denialist.[17][18]

Kresser is known for misleading people on cholesterol and saturated fat. He consistently misreads scientific papers, thus presenting false evidence in attempts to fool people into following his paleo diet. Kresser's statements about saturated fat are entirely unreliable. He is known to criticize epidemiological studies if they support plant-based diets but will cite epidemiology if it supports his own diet.[6]

DHA[edit]

Kresser has made false and misleading claims about DHA (Docosahexaenoic acidWikipedia). On his website, Kresser claims without providing any evidence that "DHA comprises 60% of the brain".[1] In reality, DHA comprises 40% of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the brain and is 10-20% total lipids.[19] There is no evidence that 60% of the brain is DHA, and the claim is rather bizarre to make. It is possible that Kresser confused DHA with the total fat content of the brain as the human brain is about 60% fat.[20] This is a good example why Kresser is not a trustworthy source of information for medical or science content, as he cannot even get basic information about the human body correct. As of November 2024 the false claim remains on his website.[1] His website is obviously not fact-checked.

Criticism[edit]

Retired family physician and skeptic Harriet Hall has commented:

Why would anyone go to Kresser for advice about vaccines? He's an acupuncturist, for Pete's sake! His whole livelihood is based on a prescientific system of mythological qi and meridians. His website offers inaccurate information and questionable advice on diet, diabetes, heart disease, thyroid disorders, skin health, heartburn, and depression. He even offers a paleo detox program.[3]

Kresser has also received criticism from those in the paleo community for his promotion of dairy products.[21] Dairy is forbidden on the paleo diet because humans did not consume the milk of animals until after domestication. The earliest evidence of dairy is from the Neolithic of the seventh millennium BCE (roughly 9000 years ago).[22] Kresser advises against a strict paleo diet and has supported the consumption of kefir.[23] Loren CordainWikipedia says Kresser's advice is ill-founded and unscientific.[21]

Nootropics pseudoscience[edit]

On his website, Kresser has made unfounded health claims that dietary supplements such as citicoline, lion’s mane mushroom, phosphatidylserine, Bacopa monnieri, Ginkgo biloba, uridine monophosphate and Alpinia galanga are effective nootropics (have cognitive-enhancing effects).[8] There is no good clinical evidence to support what Kresser claims, most of what he cites is either from unreliable rodent studies or from limited preliminary studies. Katie Suleta of the American Council on Science and Health has noted:

Kresser makes wild recommendations (e.g., specific dosages) often based on old, cherry picked [sic] studies and data from rodents. Kresser shows his lack of training and understanding of science through his recommendations of nootropics. Buyer beware, this stuff is not backed by science.[7]

2019 embarrassment[edit]

Debate with James Wilks[edit]

In 2019, Kresser debated James WilksWikipedia over claims made in the plant-based documentary The Game Changers on Joe Rogan's podcast. Kresser greatly embarrassed himself by making entirely false claims such as cattle are not fed b12 supplements and not remembering studies he had cited in his own ebook.[6] Kresser also commented that he does not know how to read forest plots.[24]

James Wilks: Right, do you know how to read a forest plot? Yes or no?

Chris Kresser: I don't.[24]

Kresser lost much support over the debate, even from his own followers.

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 How to Supercharge Your Brain with Nootropics. chriskresser.com.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chinese Medicine Demystified (Part VI): 5 Ways Acupuncture Can Help You Where Drugs and Surgery Can’t. Chris Kresser. Archived.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 An Alternative “Truth” About Flu Shots
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chris Kresser: The Healthy Baby Code
  5. ↑ Do You Need a Health Detective?. Chris Kresser.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Joe Rogan Experience #1393 - James Wilks & Chris Kresser - The Game Changers Debate. youtube.com.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chris Kresser and the Grift of Nootropics Supplements. acsh.org.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Consumer Health Digest, Issue #24-25. quackwatch.org.
  9. ↑ Ernst E (April 2009). "Acupuncture: what does the most reliable evidence tell us?". Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 37 (4): 709–14.
  10. ↑ Acupuncture Doesn’t Work
  11. ↑ False Claims for Acupuncture.
  12. ↑ RHR: The Truth about Flu Shots (And What to Do Instead). Chris Kresser.
  13. ↑ Are the Ingredients in the Newborn Vitamin K Shot Safe?
  14. ↑ That Black Box Warning on Vitamin K Shots
  15. ↑ Here's The Truth About Vitamin K For Newborns
  16. ↑ Evidence on: The Vitamin K Shot in Newborns. "Side effects from vitamin K injection given at birth are incredibly rare and if they are seen, they end up being case reports due to rarity. I could not find any case reports using the most recent version of vitamin K used in the U.S., in which the infant became severely ill or died from it."
  17. ↑ The Diet-Heart Myth: Cholesterol and Saturated Fat Are Not the Enemy. Chris Kresser.
  18. ↑ The Truth about Statin Drugs. Chris Kresser.
  19. ↑ Docosahexaenoic acid,22:6n-3: Its roles in the structure and function of the brain. sciencedirect.com.
  20. ↑ Brain Anatomy and How the Brain Works. hopkinsmedicine.org. "Weighing about 3 pounds in the average adult, the brain is about 60% fat. The remaining 40% is a combination of water, protein, carbohydrates and salts".
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Kefir Consumption Ill Founded at Best. thepaleodiet.com.
  22. ↑ Humans have been using milk and dairy products for 9000 years
  23. ↑ Kefir: The Not-Quite-Paleo Superfood
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Chris Kresser Forest Plot Joe Rogan Clip ft. James Wilks. youtube.com.
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