Israel
Leading cause: Cancer · 59% plant-based · 82.9 yr life expectancy · UHC 85/100
What People Eat
RCT: a whole-food plant-based, low-fat diet reversed Type 2 diabetes or markedly improved glucose control in 87% of participants.
Disease Burden
Leading cause of death: Cancer · 124 / 100k
Bars show each rate against the global range; the tick marks the world median.
Israel combines low stroke and heart disease (89/100k) with cancer (124/100k) leading mortality, though diabetes (13/100k) is elevated. A landmark Israeli RCT found a low-fat, whole-food plant-based diet reversed or markedly improved type-2 diabetes in 87% of participants, strong local evidence for diet as treatment.
Healthcare System
Sources: WHO UHC Service Coverage Index (SDG 3.8.1) & WHO Global Health Expenditure Database. Latest available year.
What Could Improve
- Apply the country's own RCT finding, a whole-food plant-based diet for the elevated diabetes burden.
- Cut ultra-processed foods and added sugar.
- Maintain the Mediterranean base of the regional diet against processed-food drift.
Explore the evidence: Cancer
Barnard et al., Diabetes Care · 2006 · RCT
→ T2D reversal: 87% on plant-based protocol