Two doctors in Finnish health district promoted unofficial plant-based diet linked to Adventist church

Two doctors employed by the Etelä-Savo wellbeing services county, known as Eloisa, have been advising patients to follow a whole-food plant-based diet that is not included in national nutritional or treatment guidelines, according to an investigation by Finnish broadcaster Yle.

The diet is central to lifestyle medicine, an unofficial medical field in Finland that originated from the Seventh-day Adventist church roughly two decades ago in the United States. The Finnish Association of Lifestyle Medicine (FALM) was founded in 2021 by Adventists, though the association describes itself as non-denominational.

The two doctors, Soili Kasanen and Ville Miettinen, are key figures in FALM. Miettinen serves as the association’s chair. Both deny that the religious background of lifestyle medicine influences their work, stating they do not belong to the Adventist church. They say they aim to treat chronic diseases primarily through healthy lifestyles but also use medication when needed.

Colleagues at Mikkeli Central Hospital have filed reports about potential patient safety risks due to what they consider unethical guidance. The wellbeing services county’s management has instructed the doctors to stop recommending the diet, but at least one of them has continued despite the ban, Yle reports.

Yle’s investigation included a review of documents and email correspondence, as well as interviews with five wellbeing services county employees and six patients, whose names were withheld due to potential impact on employment or care.

The whole-food plant-based diet goes beyond standard veganism by also avoiding processed plant products such as sugar, fats, oat milk, plant-based cheeses, and meat substitutes. The diet’s effects are not sufficiently supported by research evidence to be included in official guidelines, according to Yle.

Adventist health norms encourage a plant-based diet and abstinence from addictive substances, including caffeine. The Adventist church operates hundreds of health clinics and hospitals in the United States and has its own medical universities.