BackStage Utah

This was recommended to me by my Sifu, Bill Parkinson. I just started it, so I'll give my report when I'm done. Has anyone else read this?

It's a book, regarding a comprehensive study of the effects of diet on contraction and regression of debilitating and deadly diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, etc. The studies presented by Dr. Campbell illustrate the reduction of our deadliest killer diseases by adopting a plant-based diet. In every case presented (and he presents many many studies, from all over the world) he is able to consistently show that an animal-based diet can lead to serious health complications while a plant-based diet is shown to both prevent and reverse these health conditions.

I'm about half-way through the book at the moment. Not sure if it will transform me into a vegan, but definitely have plans to increase my plant-based food intake over my present meat consumption.

Link to the book

Link to the website

Link to a criticism of the study

The Kaylee and the Ivy wrote on Nov 8^th, 2010 at 6:09pm:


I've been waiting for her response. Like I said... I don't know what my conclusions will be, I already know I need to cut back animal products and eat more whole foods and veggies (though I plan to cook mine), mostly to be more healthy, but also because I know I'll probably lose about 10 lbs just by doing that. I really don't think I can ween myself off of meat & dairy altogether, but I believe a reduction would help.

At last, my review:

The China Study is the story of one T. Colin Campbell, PhD, and how his lifetime as a nutritional researcher has led him to a reasonable conclusion of what is healthy for you to eat, and what is not. He grew up on a dairy farm, and as a nutritional researcher he held the belief that the American diet of animal protein and dairy was the healthiest way to eat.

In setting out to make that belief a theory he discovered something that changed his way of thinking� a study in the Philippines regarding a high rate of liver cancer among children due to the ingestion of aflatoxin, a toxin found in peanuts (specifically the mold that can form on them). First, Dr. Campbell was shocked to find that the children who had the highest percentage of liver cancer came from well-to-do families, where they ate a diet more closely resembling an American�s diet, while children from poor families had a lower rate of cancer. Then he read a study from India where they fed rats infected with a high dosage of aflatoxin either 20% animal protein or 5% animal protein (the specific protein was Casein, which is the fat in cow�s milk). Of the rats fed 20% protein, 100% of them contracted liver cancer. Of the rats fed only 5% protein, 0% contracted liver cancer.

This revelation led Dr. Campbell to begin studying the affects of animal protein on cancer and other diseases. And moving beyond rats and mice, he was given the opportunity to conduct the titular �China Study� where they polled and tested the citizens of China for one year, then correlated the data. This data showed that those who ate a more plant-based diet suffered from fewer diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes than those who ate a more animal-based diet.

And that�s just one chapter of the book. He also walks the reader through the various �diseases of affluence,� as he calls them, showing how various studies, both his own as well as outside studies show evidence that consuming a more plant-based diet is healthier than consuming an animal-based diet.

What�s most interesting to me is that he doesn�t think all of the findings regarding this theory are applicable as proof, nor that all the research has been done to make this absolute proof. Rather, he�s simply showing us the research that he has conducted or read that has led him to this belief that consuming a whole-foods and plant-based diet is much healthier than consuming a supplemented and processed animal-based diet. In fact, many of his criticisms of contradicting research could just as easily be applied to his own studies, and he knows it.

I�m more inclined to agree with Dr. Campbell�s theory, based on the research he presents and knowing that the counter-research is often funded by corporate interests hoping to keep their industries alive. Does this mean I�m about to become a vegan? No. Though I do plan to eat more vegan meals than animal-based meals thanks to this book (and my desire to outlive my family members and not suffer from preventable diseases as they did in their later years). Do I agree completely with all of his conclusions? No, and to some extent, neither does he, as he knows that more research can always be done on this subject.