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The China Study
Health | March 06, 2015
A few of you guys have brought up a well-intentioned and pretty well-regarded book called The China Study. Written by T. Colin Campbell, a professor of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University, the book promotes a 100 percent plant-based diet – basically veganism. Professor Campbell is against any and all animal-based products and believes his study and the book that followed prove that a diet consisting of any animal products are directly linked to a bunch of chronic illnesses including heart disease and cancer.
As most of you know I’m all about fruits and vegetables – the more the better. There are vital elements (vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc.) contained in fruits and vegetables that are essential for our health and wellbeing.
Still, I’m not sold on the idea that if we consume animal products we are increasing our risks of illness and disease and that they are simply not good for us. Professor Campbell’s book and study is quite popular, but that does not mean it isn’t somewhat misleading and inaccurate.
I pretty much fried my brain reading and rereading articles and blog posts about The China Study. One consistent theme that kept showing up is that Professor Campbell may have misrepresented the data he gathered for his book.
For example, Denise Minger, a well known raw food advocate, did an incredibly thoughtful analysis of The China Study found here. It’s a long and somewhat difficult read, but her information is well researched. Minger gathered and analyzed all the raw data used in Campbell’s book. One major twist she found (among others) in the study was that there is a region in China called Tuoli where animal products made up to 45% of the diet and, yet, the people living there showed no greater increase in chronic disease! In fact, the people of Tuoli were considered very healthy, even healthier than some vegan regions in China even though they ate more animal products than most Americans!
If you really want a fun headache you can check out this written debate between Loren Cordain, another well known professor and researcher, and Campbell. Cordain argues for animal products in this exchange and insists that they are good for us. It’s also important to note that Cordain also cites 164 studies to back up his claims!
I’m all for anyone committing to a vegan diet if they wish to do so. However, I firmly believe that animal products such as grass-fed butter and dairy can be beneficial and not harmful. The China Study is very interesting food for thought (yeah I said that), but it doesn’t seem very convincing especially when broken down and analyzed.
I’m going to give my poor eyes a rest after all that reading :). What do you think about The China Study?
Private Member |
The reason animals are not good for us is because the conditions in which they are raised. Animals are given antibiotics and vaccines to ward off the diseases since it’s so easy for the animals to get sick, and growth hormones to increase the value of the cattle, or artificially inseminate genetically modified heifers to force milk production, (list goes on)…
We consume these meats and our bodies break the protein down, this can’t be healthy in the long run.
I’m not against meat either, I just encourage others to buy local whenever/wherever possible. It’s more sustainable for the environment, healthier for our bodies, and better for the community, all the while demeaning big corporate farming.
Private Member |
Fact is people can be perfectly healthy eating whatever. People eating a certain way sometimes manifests as an identity which often times breeds a sort of superiority complex. It’s simple, stay away from junk. If you feel bad about dead animals eat vegan, if not then enjoy some meat! An interesting side note that is worth mentioning is an Inuit diet consists of virtually no plants at all. Are they healthy? Very. Their secret; organ meat. Things like liver, kidneys, heart, brain, can double as a source of nutrients you normally get from veggies as they contain many many more nutrients than muscle meat. I can list sources for this but am on a phone, lazy.
Private Member |
I’ve read it, and it is remarkably biased. An excellent review of sorts can be found on AnthonyColpo.com, he also cites Ms. Minger. I thought your introduction to this article was very tactfully done Zuzka. Classy of you.
Private Member |
moscow, russia
I had a lot of problems with my health, when I almost didn’t eat meat. Everything changed, when I decided to eat more animal protein. And I do love meat, fish, cheese.
Private Member |
I stopped reading all those studies and personally have no book at home about “way of eating”. We all are different. I use my brain and my body to tell me , what it needs. Sometimes I have a huge need of meat, sometimes I am able to eat fruit all the time. Sometimes veggies, sometimes legumes, sometimes I am able to eat nuts like one hundred times a day… it depends… People are also different. Some truly are non-meaters, and some hate fruit or veggies… for example my brother never buys fruit or veggies… he simply hates that and cant get it through his neck… he takes vitamin pills… he is able to eat meat and drink milk all the time… and I hate milk so much… I never drank a glass of milk 😀 and still I am healthier in my 35 than I was when I was 20.
Private Member |
Hello Zuzka,
thank you for investigating the book and presenting it here for people who have not heard of it.
I have read it twice and i would probably benefit from reading it again, to take it all in. Isn’t repetition the mother of skill…
As i understand it “The China Study” represents findings of many studies on what role nutrition – and in particular protein (plant or animal) plays in the development of cancer and other diseases. The represented studies show for example that cancer DEVELOPMENT is modified by relatively modest changes in protein consumption. T. Colin Campbell asks various questions:
1. How much protein is too much or too little ?
Quote:”The most significant findings of the experiment was this: foci developed only (cancer initiation) when the animals met or exceeded the amount of dietary protein (12%) needed to satisfy their body growth rate. That is, when the animals met and surpassed their requirement for protein, disease onset began.
Is it possible that chemical carcinogens, in general, do not cause cancer unless the nutritional conditions are “right”? Is it possible that, for much of our lives we are being exposed to small amounts of cancer causing chemicals, but cancer does not occur unless we consume foods that promote and nurture tumor development?”
2. Does it make any difference what type of protein (animal or plant) was used in these experiments?
Quote:”For all of these experiments, we were using casein, which makes up 87% of cows milk protein. So the next logical question was whether plant protein, tested in the same way, has the same effect on cancer promotion as casein. The answer is an astonishing “NO”. In these experiments, plant protein did not promote cancer growth, even at the higher levels of intake. Gluten, the protein of wheat, did not produce the same result as casein, even when fed at the same 20% level”.
And of course there are many more questions and answers in the book. The book is very interesting and actually does not say that you can not or should not ever eat animal protein. It is telling you its findings, that if you eat a lot of animal protein, it is a lot easier and much more certain, that you will consume an amount of protein, that promotes cancer growth and other health problems by causing an disease promoting environment in your body. He actually never said that you must be totally vegan or vegetarian to be healthy. Reading the book throughout is highly recommended, if you really want to know what he is saying.
Private Member |
Sorry, my last sentence is a little misleading. I did not mean you personally, Zuzka – but if “you all/ anybody” really want to know what he is saying.
Private Member |
toluca, state of mexico, mexico
I only eat fish but not another animal, i think its not necessary to live and i feel sorry for them because they cannot choose or do anything! by the other side i eat dairy productos and eggs (only whites) i personally think that we should do some research from different authors and to use our brain and listen to our own body. I’ve came to the conclusion that feeding a human body shouldn’t be that dificultt, the problem is that we feel seduced by nice flavours that are no good for our body, something that sometimes can be funny but it can become a real problem. I’m a big fan of bruce lee,and his way of thinking about eating is just simple and logic. So as we have a body to our own service, it is also at our own care
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balestrand, norway
Yes, I agree there are flaws, just like there are in the vegan documentary “Forks Over Knives.” I’ve studied nutrition and the one conclusion that you come to after studying the huge variety of diets out there is that humans are adaptable. We can thrive on so many types of diets, some all plant based, some all animal based. Eskimos have lived off of whale blubber alone! As long as you get all the nutrients you require, and not a lot of the man-made chemicals like transfats and too much added sugar, you can be healthy on many different diets.
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curitiba, parana, brazil
I am vegetarian since I was 15 years old. My husband and my son are also vegetarian. It is was my decision based on the way I would like to live my life. I do not miss meat, chicken or fish. I do not remember me enjoying eating these items. I am very happy and healthy being vegetarian. My body does not need anything else.