The China Study

[Brenda-Jean Shephard]

https://nutritionstudies.org/the-china-study/

First of all I want to clarify that I am not endorsing this site.  It is controversial, and it is also commercial.  In reviewing it, I will include links to other sites/articles/blogs that contradict the China Study’s claims.  But controversy is perfect for teaching!

This subject came to my attention because diet and health are topics I feel are critically important to discuss with kids who seem to be growing up in a world where edible substances are considered food and/or treats regardless of their lack of nutritional value.  The prevalence of junk “food” in our students’ diets is alarming, and undoubtedly has consequences in every area of their lives, including mental clarity and academic success.

My personal opinion is that any whole foods people eat are going to be better for them than packaged foodlike substances full of sugar, salt, food coloring, artificial flavors, and preservatives, whether those whole foods are plant-based or animal-based, carbohydrates or proteins.  But then, I have not taken the course I’m offered a 15% discount on every time I open the site.  (This course is designed to qualify for continuing education credits for mainly healthcare professionals.)

I did find it fascinating to read about the background and history of the China Study research project, which was conducted in the 1980’s.  It all started with Zhou Enlai, Prime Minister of China under Mao Zedong.  In the late 60’s he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and wanted to know what studies were available.  At the time, there was very little information on the disease in China, so he commissioned a study, which happened in 1973-’75.  The fact that the Chinese population tended to live in the same area all their lives and to consume the same diets—which were specific to geographic regions—was linked to the incidences of different cancers in different regions of the country.  Two Chinese scientists who participated in this research made connections with an American biochemist and a British professor at Oxford.  The four (Chen, Li, Campbell, and Peto) got a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a very comprehensive of diet and disease in China.

So, in 1983-’84, blood and urine samples, dietary surveys, and health questionnaires were collected from a total of 6500 people—100 each (50 male, 50 female) from 65 different provinces.  In 1989-’90, the survey was replicated, with a total of 10,200 individuals from 85 counties in China and Taiwan.  The results of the data were published in 1990 and 2006, respectively.  The data is also available online, for those who are willing to peruse it.

The basic claim of the widely-distributed book The China Study is that animal-based foods are bad for you.

Links available on the website include (supporting) articles and a documentary.

The following are separate articles that have commercial advertising.  The first is kind of a Cliff’s notes on the 417-page book.  The other three present arguments against the premise that animal-based foods are bad for you.

https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/china-study-cheat-sheet-10-things-you-need-to-know/

“It's not just cancer and heart disease that respond to a whole food, plant-based diet, the authors say. Their research showed it may also help protect you from diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases, bone, kidney, eye, and brain diseases..”.

https://blog.bulletproof.com/the-china-study-diet-criticism-vegan/

Here are the key points:

• The China Study is probably the best-known book that promotes low-fat veganism. Its author concludes that animal protein causes cancer —  but there are a lot of problems with his statistics and science.
• Meat quality is essential. Things like dry aging, refrigeration, microbial spoilage, and cooking method all affect meat’s carcinogenic potential, and in 1980s China, meat production had all of these issues.
• Most staple plant proteins are a source of antinutrients and gut-damaging compounds.
• Eating low-to-moderate protein from grass-fed or wild-caught animals is the best way to upgrade your performance and increase longevity.

https://chriskresser.com/rest-in-peace-china-study/

https://deniseminger.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/

There are a lot of opinions available to the researcher.  Like I said, it pretty much lends itself to study—a great basis for a student writing project.

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