Turkish Doctor Under Fire for Calling Vegans “Grain-Brained”

The Vegan Society of Turkey recently filed a criminal complaint against Turkish physician Canan Karatay, MD, for misleading the public by making defamatory statements against veganism. “Grain is animal feed. Our bodies are not programmed to use grain. If we eat grains, we become grain-brained,” Karatay said during a recent television appearance. The 75-year-old cardiology specialist previously stated that “veganism is a disease” and classified vegans as “exploiters of religion.” In July, Karatay was suspended from practicing medicine for 15 days after the Turkish Gynecology and Obstetrics Foundation filed a complaint against her for misrepresenting medical facts related to blood-sugar testing. Old tropes about the vegan lifestyle continue to fall out of favor, as evidenced by last month’s controversy that involved vegan journalist Selene Nelson and former editor of food magazine Waitrose William Sitwell. Nelson pitched a vegan cooking series to Sitwell, who responded with negative statements—such as suggesting that vegans be killed “one by one”—which unleashed a media backlash forcing the editor to resign shortly thereafter.