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This Just In: Meat-eaters Will Die First

October 21, 2009

Reposted from JackNorrisRD.com

I always find it amusing when I’m reading nutrition propaganda from someone using outdated information and they say something like, “As far back as [date], we knew that…” And so it disappoints me to have to do the same thing right now: As far back as June, we knew that vegetarians had a lower cancer rate than regular meat-eaters; it’s just that it’s taken me until now to update VeganHealth.org and post about it.

And, why am I saying “regular meat-eaters” rather than just “meat-eaters”? Because, in this report from EPIC-Oxford (1), the people who ate no meat other than fish had an even lower cancer rate than the vegetarians, in comparison to the regular meat-eaters. Here are the rates as compared to regular meat-eaters:

Vegetarians .88 (.81, .96)
Fish-eaters .82 (.73, .93)

Now before anyone says that fish-eaters, therefore, had a lower cancer rate than the vegetarians, let me point out that a cursory glance at those confidence intervals indicates to me that there would not be a statistically significant difference if you compared the vegetarians to the fish-eaters; but the study did not report testing for that.

When breaking the cancers down into categories, in comparison to the regular meat-eaters, the vegetarians had lower rates of stomach (.36, .16-.78), bladder (.47, .25-.89), and lympthatic & hematopoietic tissue (.55, .39-.78) cancer. They had a higher rate of cervical cancer (2.08, 1.05-4.12).

In comparison to the regular meat-eaters, the fish-eaters had lower rates of colorectal (.77, .53-1.13), prostate (.57, .33-.99), and ovarian (.37, .18-.77) cancer. They didn’t have a higher rate of any cancer.

So, can we now say that vegetarians have a lower rate of cancer than meat-eaters? Well, fish-eaters are meat-eaters, so that might be kind of hard. We could say that vegetarians have a lower rate of cancer than chicken eaters.

To see more of the numbers and details, as well as results from other studies on vegetarians and cancer rates, click here.

Footnote

1. Key TJ, Appleby PN, Spencer EA, Travis RC, Allen NE, Thorogood M, Mann JI. Cancer incidence in British vegetarians. Br J Cancer. 2009 Jul 7;101(1):192-7. Epub 2009 Jun 16.

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The China Study

August 2, 2009

The China Study gives critical, life-saving nutritional information for every health-seeker in America. But, it is much more; Dr. Campbell’s exposé of the research and medical establishment makes this book a fascinating read and one that could change the future for all of us. Every health care provider and researcher in the world must read it.

Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Author of the bestselling book,
Eat To Live

The science is clear. The results are unmistakable.

Change your diet and dramatically reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Respected nutrition and health researcher, Dr. T. Colin Campbell reveals the truth behind special interest groups, government entities and scientists that have taken Americans down a deadly path

Even today, as the low-carb craze sweeps the nation, two-thirds of adults are still obese and children are being diagnosed with Type II diabetes, typically an “adult” disease, at an alarming rate. If we’re eating healthier, why are Americans stricken with heart disease as much as we were 30 years ago?

Drawing on the project findings in rural China, but going far beyond those findings, The China Study details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The report also examines the source of nutritional confusion produced by powerful lobbies, government entities, and opportunistic scientists. The New York Times has recognized the study (China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project) as the “Grand Prix of epidemiology” and the “most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease.”

“After a long career in research and policy-making, I have decided to step ‘out of the system.’ I have decided to disclose why Americans are so confused,” said Dr. Campbell. “As a taxpayer who foots the bill for research and health policy in America, you deserve to know that many of the common notions you have been told about food, health and disease are wrong.”

“I propose to do nothing less than redefine what we think of as good nutrition. You need to know the truth about food, and why eating the right way can save your life.”

Early in his career as a researcher with MIT and Virginia Tech, Dr. Campbell worked to promote better health by eating more meat, milk and eggs — “high-quality animal protein … It was an obvious sequel to my own life on the farm and I was happy to believe that the American diet was the best in the world.”

He later was a researcher on a project in the Philippines working with malnourished children. The project became an investigation for Dr. Campbell, as to why so many Filipino children were being diagnosed with liver cancer, predominately an adult disease. The primary goal of the project was to ensure that the children were getting as much protein as possible.

“In this project, however, I uncovered a dark secret. Children who ate the highest protein diets were the ones most likely to get liver cancer…” He began to review other reports from around the world that reflected the findings of his research in the Philippines.

Although it was “heretical to say that protein wasn’t healthy,” he started an in-depth study into the role of nutrition, especially protein, in the cause of cancer.

The research project culminated in a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, a survey of diseases and lifestyle factors in rural China and Taiwan. More commonly known as the China Study, “this project eventually produced more than 8000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease.”

The findings? “People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored,” said Dr. Campbell.

In The China Study, Dr. Campbell details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and also its ability to reduce or reverse the risk or effects of these deadly illnesses. The China Study also examines the source of nutritional confusion produced by powerful lobbies, government entities, and irresponsible scientists.

The China Study is not a diet book. Consumers are bombarded with conflicting messages regarding health and nutrition; the market is flooded with popular titles like The Atkins Diet and The South Beach Diet. The China Study cuts through the haze of misinformation and delivers an insightful message to anyone living with cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and those concerned with the effects of aging. Additionally, he challenges the validity of these low-carb fad diets and issues a startling warning to their followers.

Reprinted from http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html

I have read this book a few times and the evidence presented is overwhelmingly clear. It’s a pretty long read and very “scientifically” written, but the results of many years of research is astounding.


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