– M Rafi Ahmed
Coimbatore: At a time when Coimbatore is witnessing high rates of non-communicable diseases like hypertension (38.8%) and diabetes (32.44%), future nurses at PSG College of Nursing were given a timely and empowering message this week: Food isn’t just fuel, it can be a powerful tool in improving health and preventing disease.
Addressing the nursing students and faculty members at PSG College of Nursing here, the Indian origin Dr. Zeeshan Ali, research program specialist at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), Washington D.C. in the US, detailed on how plant-based diets can prevent and even reverse many of the lifestyle diseases plaguing India today.
Speaking on the topic ‘Managing Lifestyle Diseases Through the Power of Plant-Based Nutrition’, Dr. Ali encouraged the next generation of healthcare providers to see nutrition as an essential part of preventive care for chronic illnesses – like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease – alongside other standard approaches.
“Food can be one of the most powerful and accessible tools we have to support long-term health,” said Dr. Ali. “By incorporating simple, evidence-based dietary changes, patients can experience meaningful improvements. As nurses, you are in a unique position to offer both care and guidance-helping patients take charge of their health, one meal at a time.”
Citing relevant clinical studies, Dr. Ali highlighted how a plant-based diet has shown to significantly improve health outcomes in patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In a type 1 diabetes study, patients increased their insulin sensitivity by 127% by following a low-fat plant-based diet without any restrictions on calories or carbs.
Similarly, a study on type 2 diabetes found that patients on this diet showed the potential to achieve disease remission – something that was thought to be impossible. The session sparked lively discussion, with students asking about practical applications, patient counselling, and the role of nurses in promoting healthier dietary habits. Many shared that this was their first exposure to nutrition as a therapeutic tool. The event was part of PCRM’s effort to build nutrition literacy among medical and nursing colleges across India.
Dr. Zeeshan Ali is the Kickstart India Program Specialist at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. He uses his working knowledge of chronic disease, nutrition, and Indian culture to develop content for the 21-Day kickstart India program. He also writes scientific reviews and articles on non-animal-based research methods.
He supports the outreach efforts of the Physicians Committee by reaching new members, physicians, healthcare professionals and researchers at medical and scientific conferences. He received his doctorate degree from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Germany. He holds a Marie Curie fellowship from Gabriele D’Annunzio University in Italy in 2010 and a postdoctoral fellowship at University Piemonte Orientale Italy 2012.
Dr. Zeeshan Ali as part of the outreach program travels twice a year to India to spread awareness on chronic disease prevention through dietary modifications. He collaborates with local physicians and nutritionists in India and organises free educational lectures for the public. Moreover, he attends scientific and medical conferences to reach new members, physicians, healthcare professionals and researchers. He is very passionate about ethical research methods and strongly supports alternative methods in animal testing.
Notably, he received his Masters degree in Microbiology from Barkatullah University, Bhopal in India. He received his doctorate degree from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Germany. Earlier, he served as research assistant at Wockhardt between Apr. 2001 and Sept. 2002 in Aurangabad before migrating to the US on donning a different avatar at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
[The author is former Indian Express and Deccan Chronicle chief]
