The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted: The China Study

I’m re-reading a book I picked up last summer and found quite intriguing. When I’m not reading for class or for pleasure, I read nutrition books. I very rarely ever assimilate what I learn completely, but somehow I feel I’m pursuing better health by reading those who do.

Last summer, I found a book that made some big claims. Here are some quotes from the backcover:

Everyone in the field of nutrition science stands on the shoulders of Dr. Campbell, who is one of the giants in the field. This is one of the most important books about nutrition ever written – reading it may save your life. ~Dean Ornish, MD

…a well-documented analysis of the fallacies of the modern diet, lifestyle and medicine… ~Sushma Palmer, PhD

…the most important book on nutrition and health to come out in the last seventy-five years. ~David Klein

…Colin studies the relationship between diet and disease, and his conclusions are startling. ~Robert C. Richardson, PhD

The science is clear. The results are unmistakable. Change your diet and dramatically reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

The book is The China Study by T. Colin Campbell PhD and his son Thomas M. Campbell. I began reading it last June, excited to learn how to eat healthier and learn something new. What I learned from the book was definitely interesting and even convincing, but such a struggle to assimilate.

The authors wrote this work after conducting one of the most intense and thorough scientific studies on nutrition ever conducted. This project surveyed “a vast range of diseases and diet and lifestyle factors in rural China.” It eventually provided 8,000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease.

In a nutshell, The China Study includes thorough discussions on the current health epidemic, including several diseases of affluence (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancers, and autoimmune diseases); how to eat well; and how science, government and big medicine are working hard to hide the truth from Americans.

The only problem I have with this study is the difficulty of living out their conclusions. They basically conclude the main cause of the major diseases listed above are animal-based proteins. The book that claims to hold the nutritional answers is clearly suggesting a vegan lifestyle.

This creates quite an obstacle: I like meat, in fact, I like meat a lot. I eat quite a bit of the stuff in various forms. But I also believe The China Study is most likely accurate. If I ate vegan the rest of my life, barring accidental death, I’m convinced I would be healthier and live longer. Can I honestly turn my back on this truth and keep eating myself towards a much higher likelihood of cancer, heart disease or diabetes??

The authors do assert eating less meat would be an improvement on most diets, but also compare this logic to the idea of smoking less cigarettes instead of quiting all together. They strongly recommend full commitment.

Lastly, I suspect this is more of a moral issue then I’d like to admit. I’m called by my Creator to steward my body as his temple:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

~1 Cor. 6:19-20

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

~1 Cor. 10:31

It is true that God allows humans to consume animals.  Jesus Christ, himself, served fish to the 4,000 and 5,000 and to his disciples post-resurrection.  Jesus also describes fish and eggs as good gifts from a father (Luke 11:11-13). Jesus would have never been able to consume meat with every meal, especially red meat (this was most likely consumed once a month or at major Jewish holidays).  Perhaps the Bible actually calls for balance in animal-protein consumption.

I continue to wrestle with the implications of The China Study. I’ll probably never completely give up eating animal proteins, but I might think hard about decreasing the amount in my diet; not merely to look and feel better, but to honor God with my body.