The China Study by Dr. T. Collin Campbell, a nutrition and health researcher, shows us the connection between what we eat, and the link to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Dr. Campbell uses project findings in rural China, as well as personal research the author did in the Philippines while working with malnourished children, research from a 20-year partnership with the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Cornell University, and Oxford University, surveys of diseases and lifestyle changes in both Taiwan and China, etc. Referred to as the China Study, Campbell has put together the "8000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease."
For anyone doubting the findings of Dr. Campbell, keep in mind, this is a man that grew up on a ranch where eating ham, eggs, bacon, milk, etc. with every meal was a daily occurrence. In fact, in this book, he expresses the regret he feels that he did not know about the connection between heart disease, etc. and our diets sooner, as he could have saved his fathers life (his father died of a heart attack at a young age). Dr. Campbell received his master's degree and Ph.D. from Cornell, spent 10 years on the faculty at Virginia Tech in their Biochemistry and Nutrition Department, served as a Research Associate at MIT, and then returned to Cornell where he currently holds his Emeritus Chair in the Division of Nutritional Sciences since 1975. Prior to that, he began his graduate training by working on the effects of nutritional status on long term health, particularly in regards to the cause of cancer. He has performed large-scale human studies, laboratory research, authored more than 300 research papers, served on grant review panels, lectured quite extensively, and has received more than 70 grant-years of "peer-reviewed research funding". Dr. Campbell has also won many awards in both citizenship and research, and has participated in the development of national, as well as international nutrition policies.
The findings in The China Study prove that people who consume the most animal-based foods came down with the most chronic disease, while people that ate the most plant-based foods had a tendency to avoid chronic disease, and they were by far the healthiest! Campbell also shows how we can reverse the risks and/or effects of deadly illnesses with a plant-based diet. And while the The China Study is not necessarily a diet book, it does provide us with the various studies done to back up his research (as well as the research of others) that will have you striving for a healthier lifestyle. To read an excerpt, visit: http://www.thechinastudy.com/PDFs/ChinaStudy_Excerpt.pdf
Personally, I was astounded by every single page. I literally could not put this book down. And I'm not the only one that's impressed! Bradley Saul from OrganicAthlete.com stated that "The China Study is the most important book on nutrition and health to come out in the last 75 years. Everyone should read it, and it should be the model for all nutrition programs taught at universities." Nobel Prize Winner, Robert C. Richardson, Ph.D., Professor of Physics and Vice Provost of Research, Cornell University claims that "The China Study represents a major turning point in our understanding of health." Marilyn Gentry, President of the American Institute for Cancer Research says that "The China Study is a well-documented analysis of the fallacies of the modern diet, lifestyle, and medicine and the quick fix approach that often fails." Seriously, there is a reason why this book won VegNews Book of the Year! This is a must read for anyone interested in living a healthy lifestyle. Or, if you are like me, read it if the thought of cancer, heart disease, etc. scares the bejesus outta you!
