The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health

Life Changing

This one-step-at-a-time, well-documented book changed the way I enjoy food.

From scientific research explained in comprehendable terms to anecdotal, yet convincing, information to exposure of food-politics and the linked economic greed in the United States, the author made an undeniable case as to why I should change my eating habits.

I have always been among healthy Americans by politically correct standards. I'm an outdoorsman, I work out, I weighed 185 with a 6' frame, I take the smallest dose offered of Lipitor, get a physical every year, had a "see ya in ten years" exit interview after my colonoscopy, etc, etc. etc. Why worry? Because life could be much, much better. Our our culture has allowed, and sometimes even advocated, a host of unhealthy habits in our diets. We need to get away from it.

Have I become a veggie freak? Absolutely not. But I've reinvented my approach to meals as a result of this book. From some sort of meat, fish, or processed pasta at least twice daily, I've now transformed to attempting to eat only what I catch or shoot. Even at that I limit my animal based food intake to three or four servings weekly at most--primarily because restaurants simply don't offer meals that don't include either pieces of farm raised animals or processed pasta as the main course. In place, I've learned to eat all sorts of plants and am having a blast at mealtime.

Results? I dropped about 10# of "baby fat" off the frame in about ten weeks. I sleep better. My doctor just allowed me to move off Lipitor (after six months of change) in that my "bad cholestorol" numbers are down by 60 (yes, sixty) points to 124 and my good cholesterol is up 8. This saves me about $600 a year.... Last, I feel good about it.

National healthcare crisis? We need to stop letting the insurers, the medical procedure performers, the hospitals and big pharma dodge the real issue. Reality is that the dairy, beef, sugar and prepared food industries are poisoning us in order to make a buck. Then, when they've given us diabetes, heart disease, and a higher incidence of Alzheimers, the "healthcare industry" takes over and bleeds us of our dollars treating symptoms -- not the real problem.

Read this book. Live longer for less money. Be active. Enjoy.

16 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

If you read ONE review...

Before I say one word about the book, I must say professionally, I am in the health and wellness field, so the subject matter of this book are my bread and butter. I say this only so you know this is not new territory for me. Also, I am not a vegan, but my wife is. As a result, I eat a mostly vegan diet, and I am very supportive of her in that choice. I am not hostile towards vegans in any way. In fact, my favorite restaurants near my home are all vegan.

Having said all that, I must add I am VERY hostile towards bad science and/or liars. I don't know which one Campbell is, but either way, I am sick of hearing about this book. If you perform a simple google search, you can find that he published his FULL findings, and you can read them in their entirety. But they're not in this volume. That's right, for some reason, he did not mention all the research in the book that is supposed to be a summation of the research. I won't bother going point by point, but I can tell you he left out an entire village that contradicted his points all across the board. That's one glaring omission. And there are many more where that came from. Beyond leaving things out, he misinterprets and makes broad leaps of logic that are not connected to the data he DOES use.

I won't lie myself and tell you that everything he says is nonsense, because he does make the occasional good point here and there, BUT when a "scientist" has to use smoke and mirrors, lie, and leave out large swaths of information that don't support his claims, he loses ALL credibility in my eyes. You can find other books that make the same good points but don't resort to manipulation to do it. I suggest reading those.

13 out of 18 people found this review helpful.

A not-to-be-missed book challenging all of today's diet and nutrition norms for anyone wanting to be healthier.

This is truly a monumental book which upsets all the normal diet and nutrition concepts. This is a not-to-be-missed book for everyone interested in improving their health through nutrition. The scientific evidence of this incredible study is irrefutable. The information in this book will compel you to make changes in your life away from the rich, western diet to a more sensible approach to nutrition that is plant-based. While the concept is challenging for many to adopt, it is truly the inconvenient truth that will save your life.

7 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

The China Study

I was diagnosed with a rare genetic cancer and my oncologist suggested that I get this book and read it. I did and could not put it done. I learned so much about diet and cancer. I am constantly picking up the book and reading certain parts of it as a reminder of what I need to continue to do to stay healthy.
I gradually started changing my diet and daily habits and I can honestly say that I feel so much better. My hsband even got a few shocks himself and has also changed diet and daily habits with me.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in changing thier diet and health hbits. It is so important for thier whole family.

3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

The book may be saving my life.

After fighting colon cancer for three years, my husband bought me this book. I am an "open skeptic" when it comes to non-traditional cancer cures, meaning I will investigate just about anything, but I want to see real science behind any claims, not just anecdotal evidence. When my husband bought the book, I'd just received news that my CEA levels (a blood test that can indicate the activity of a colon cancer tumor) had risen again. I was devastated. We were one day away from leaving on a one week vacation to Mexico.

I took the book with me and went right to chapter 3 on cancer. After reading that chapter, I was convinced that Dr. Campbell was not just some crack pot with a wild idea. I knew this was serious science. At first I was totally overwhelmed with the idea of eating the plant based diet he recommends. I thought eliminating milk would be the most difficult part of it. And I figured I'd never be able to eat out in a restaurant again. (Not true.) But a few days after returning home, I made the switch, based upon as much information about vegan eating as I could glean off the Internet. That was mid April 2008. Now, six months later, my CEA levels (taken every 4-6 weeks) have decreased four times in a row. My last CT scan in August was basically unchanged from my previous scan in June--something I had not seen, or expected to see ever again since the tumors, even with chemo, had continued to grow slowly.

There is no way to know for sure if the diet is causing these changes since I have been on a low dose chemo for over a year. But I am certain of one thing--my energy level, which has been very compromised due to chemo, was about 30-40% improved within a week or two of starting the diet.

I am not on a crusade to convince everyone to eat like this, but I have been very pleased with the results I have had.

This book is an eye opener and worth reading

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Simply Awesome!

The information in this book is so clear and concise and it makes absolute sense! Western diseases are related to diet; Dr. Colin Campbell has proven it. If Westerners continue to eat animal flesh, dairy and refined sugar, they are simply going to continue suffering from a slew of illnesses and diseases. When a person eats a diet consisting of whole grains and plants, the body flourishes and thrives. Quit saying "but it tastes so good" and read this book! Once you make the switch to a diet of whole grains and fresh fruits and veggies, your taste buds will change for good! I only wish that the experiments carried out on innocent rats and mice had been avoided; Americans shouldn't need to torture animals in order to realize that eating right is good for us and eating bad will kill us.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

"The China Study" really can save or change your life!

This book should be required reading!! Dr. Campbell has done the whole world a favor in writing this amazing book. By page 120 my chin had fallen to the floor and I think it is still there! You CAN prevent and cure cancer, you CAN prevent and cure heart disease, diabetes, and so many horrible diseases! Do you know the most toxic food you can put in the human body? Answer: Cow's Milk. It can cause all of the above diseases plus is responsible for 70 to 80 percent of all hip fractures and 88% of all macular degeneration - where you can go blind!!! And that is just one of the foods discussed in this book! In their tests with rats, they got to the point where they could turn the growth of cancer on or off just by the amount of animal protein they fed the rats!! I am so angry at the Pharmaceuticals, the Lobbyists, the Dairy Association (who have known for 80 YEARS that our bodies cannot assimilate bovine calcium) and the Beef Association that I am going to spend the rest of my life pleading with people to read this book. They will never find a cure for cancer, heart disease (or any disease) as long as the reseach facilities are full of scientists paid for by lobbyists. If someone reads the book and does not want to follow it, at least they have had the "choice." I am even holding an "Alternative Medicine Health Seminar," which, will, of course, include this book. Do yourself and your loved ones a BIG favor and at least read the book. The rest, as they say, is up to you. THANK YOU DR. CAMPBELL!!

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Cancer and Heart Disease are voluntary

If you want to really take charge of your own destiny with regards to your health, Dr. Campbell's book is a MUST READ. I have been a vegeterian for about 10 years before reading this book and didn't feel I could learn a lot of new things in this regard, but I was wrong. Campbell describes the three stages of cancer: Initiation, promotion and progression. He clearly shows how ANIMAL PROTEIN is responsible for all three stages. One of the Key Findings in his 35 years of research is the fact that CANCER GROWTH CAN BE TURNED ON OR OFF, simply through the ingestion or non-ingestion of animal protein. Dr. Campbell, his research and his book deserve a lot more attention and public recognition than is presently the case. People should take heed of the vital message conveyed to us by this ground breaking book. Society and humanity at large owe a great debt to the work of this man. Stop being a victim of disease and misery, reclaim your God-given right to health and happiness. Take the first step and read this book! Unlike other authors who have a product to push, Dr. Campbell is a scientist in the truest sense of the word. What I like best is that the information in this book originates from research of the highest quality, meeting the most rigorous scientific standards. I also like the fact that he is not an M.D., who btw are not scientists at all, but has a doctorate in Biochemical Nutrition. Society looks to medical doctors for advice on health. What could be more absurd than that?! M.D.'s spend all their time studying and exploring disease. How is it possible to know about health through the study of disease? Modern medical science is a farce and is preoccupied in treating disease, all the while completely ignoring the cause of disease. And the cause of 95% of all disease is lifestyle with nutrition dominating the top of the list. Thank you Dr. Campbell!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Finally, the truth!

If what the China Study claims to be true is accurate, this book will be the most important work on health ever written. Animal protein is singled out as the primary cause of most western disease. The study makes sense. Big business in America does not want us to know the truth. Billions of dollars are behind the meat, poultry and dairy industries. The author says that removing animal protein and eating a whole grain, plant based diet, will stop cancer and swing the pendulum in the other direction. He sold me.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

China Study is Must Read!

Amazing book---will open your eyes and make you think about the way we eat.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great Teacher, Great Lessons, Great Book!

I bought this book because of the excellent reviews it kept getting and because of how much I enjoyed hearing Dr. Campbell speak about the China Study (the actual study, not the book) in Sept 2001. I was comfortably certain that I would enjoy the book, but what I didn't realize was how much I would learn from it. After listening to several lectures, asking numerous questions, and reading many books and articles by a variety of highly credible authors about the benefits of a plant-based diet and the harmful consequences (to humans, animals and planet) of an animal-based one, as well as experiencing first-hand what a positive difference switching to a vegan diet makes, I didn't think there could be much left on this topic to learn. But I gleaned new, interesting and important information from every chapter in this book, whether it was about nutrition, the mechanics of disease, or the disturbing details about what goes on behind the scenes as industry, medicine, science, government and business collude to spew out self-serving, deceptive and destructive 'nutrition guidelines' for us hoi polloi. 'The China Study' has inspired us to fine-tune our diet (already plant-based for 5 years) by switching to mostly whole (minimally or unprocessed) foods, and has me looking at things like pharmaceutical ads and medical study headlines (such as 'Diabetics At Higher Liver Cancer Risk') with better informed, wider open eyes. While I already knew *that* a plant-based diet is far healthier, this book explains in superb detail why and how that is the case... and despite the frequent complexity of the science, his explanations are clear and understandable - thanks in part to his excellent use of analogies. Condensed and designed to make a large volume of scientific study results accessible to and understandable by the lay public, 'The China Study' is well written, interesting and informative, engaging, sincere and forthright, and peppered throughout with a wonderful wry and self-effacing humor. I applaud Dr. Campbell's courage in speaking out against the status quo because he cares about the well-being of people and the planet, and am grateful to him (and his son) for sharing his hard-earned knowledge, behind-the scenes experience, and impressive expertise through this important book. Sometimes, when I read books like this one that credibly and responsibly confront what we've been taught and think we know, challenging us to open our minds, think anew and experience a paradigm shift, I am reminded of my high school history teacher's pet saying. When my class would do poorly on a pop quiz, he'd shake his head and mutter, 'Buy 'em books and buy 'em books, and all they do is eat the covers.' I hope The China Study is widely read and influential, and that all anyone eats after being handed this book...is plants! :-)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sacrificing Science for Ideology

I do recommend reading this book however, doing so must be done with a critical eye. I found Dr. Campbell to have many good points about the health care system, the need for acquiring nutrients from food, and his criticism of excessive reductionism in nutritional science. But his bias against animal products permeates every page. The conclusions of his laboratory research are thoroughly unjustified. He uses evidence from the effects of isolated casein (that was probably high-temperature spray-dried, which creates carcinogens), which is a milk protein that is very unique among animal proteins and problematic for many people, to indict 'animal nutrients' as an entire group. Campbell never extended his lab experiments to see if a generalization from powdered casein could really be made to all animal proteins or all animal nutrients. Campbell's presentation of the China Study itself, which is actually only about a tenth of the book, should be carefully compared to the data of the study itself. In _The China Study_, Campbell claims that this study showed an association between animal protein and all forms of cancer. But the original monograph of the study shows carbohydrates to be most highly correlated with cancer, plant protein to have a greater correlation with cancer than animal protein, and the only protective macronutrient to be fat, the latter of which was the only statistically significant correlation between cancer and any macronutrient. His presentation of others research is interesting, but highly selective. He ignores the plethora of non-modernized groups that have been studied and affirmed to have vibrant health on a diet rich in animal products. He minimizes any discussion of the harms of modern plant-based foods (like white flour, white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc), and likewise leaves out discussion of modern research uncovering benefits of animal-based foods and nutrients. The book's title implies that the book is a general guide to health based on information from the massive epidemiological study after which the book is named, but in actuality it is a general argument for vegetarianism, crafted without regard to balance and truth. I reviewed this book in much more detail with 48 footnotes in a review that appeared in Wise Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston A Price Foundation. If anyone is interested in reading this review an internet search should turn it up. Again, I don't necessarily recommend *against* reading this book-- but, as with any book, critical reviews and refutations should also be read. I believe a balanced look at the arguments of Dr. Campbell and the contrary arguments would leave Dr. Campbell's arguments uncompelling.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Medical oncologist review of The China Study

As an oncologist, it is heartbreaking to see so many cancer patients with cancer that could be prevented if people took advantage of the scientific research presented in this book. The book is scientifically sound and very readable. If someone is serious about their health or the health of their family, this is a must read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I loved this book!

I am a skeptic at heart, and I very much value logic and information. This book was very well written and presented in a manner that scientifically explained the WHY of the diet recommendations. I couldnt put The China Study down and told my friends and family about it. I am now a believer, but more than that, it is more than just following a book written by popularity, it is a decision I made based on the information presented. Well written book!

A must read for every health minded person

After starting this book I could not put it down. If this book does not make a major change in the standard American diet, then we, the people, are hopeless. If it does not make an impact on the way medicine is practiced (my doctor was not even aware of this book) then something is definitely wrong and we will go on paying for drups and therapies, even surgeries, that may not be necessary if the reccomendations in this book are followed. I had already recently become a vegan when I came across this book. It has totally rein- forced my decision.

Im sure it would be good

for some reason I can not get it to download on to my book so I would not really know if it is or now

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Newly vegan

My husband and I are diving into a life of renewed health. EXCELLENT BOOK. Use your own logic to change your health. Hears to a long and Heathier life.

I'll never be the same...

This highly intelligent, ground-breaking book tells the truth about science, diet & health - and the food industry's stranglehold on public information. Campbell's research dovetails neatly with other trusted health advice I've encountered. Beyond that, it's as if a light bulb comes on in your head as he logically explains his experiences and viewpoint. Finally, the link between diet and disease make sense. I love his voice throughout the book. It is calm and clear, humble and definitely not sensationalized. Besides the Bible, I'm fairly certain The China Study is the most important book I will ever read. My food choices will never be the same, much to my hubby's dismay!

Required reading for any medical professional, & anyone on prescriptions

At the tender age of 67, this book was handed to me to read, and turned my 67 year old dietary habits totally around. When I went vegan 6 mos ago, I was pre-diabetic, with a fasting glucose of 109 moderated by 1000 mg of Metformin, with cholesterol of 224 moderated by Simvastaatin. Six months later, I've lost 15#, dropped the Metformin & Simvastatin protocol, with fasting glucose readings in the high 70's, and cholesterol at 114 (HDL=56, LDL=35). Having been educated as an engineer, Campbell's statistics are overwhelmingly are accurately documented, and I'm a one man case study of his the results of his recommendations. Now, for the hypertensive meds...

so much good information

i have a bad family health history and both myself and my husband are over weight. but thanks to this book we are on a better road to being stronger and having a better reason than just to save the animals.