Anyone here have thoughts on The China Study?

[Goblinmonger]

I am reading it as part of a book club for a variety of reading. I am only 3 chapters in, but the information presented is interesting. The skeptic in me doesn't want to put on my tinfoil hat and think that "big beef" is hiding this evidence of cancer risk reduction by eating a low protein diet, but don't have the background in this area. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

[TZ]

1. Link?

I'm not actually familiar with this. Although its known that high fat/high protein diets are associated with an elevated cancer risk. Anti-oxidants which are thought to be good cancer preventers are found almost exclusively in teas and veggies and fruits...not proteins.
Sometimes these "conspiracy" cover ups are only in the minds of the mainstream whereas most of the scientific community is well aware of the facts. I would have to see what you are talking about to know for sure though.

[salvorhardin]

2. I know very little about the book or its author

But I've heard him interviewed a couple of times. IIRC he claims that 80%-90% of all disease is caused by diet, most notably the consumption of proteins. That alone seems like enough to discredit the guy. Are all the inheritable and infectious diseases taken together only representative of upwards of 20% of all disease? And as far as proteins causing cancer, that seems a little odd considering we're made of protein (among other things). Furthermore, he alleges a conspiracy theory to suppress the information that eating proteins causes cancer.

I don't know about anyone else, but anytime someone says the majority of all disease is caused by a solitary factor and they start flinging conspiracy theories I tend not to waste my time with it.

BTW: Just did some googling. There's a review on Science Based Medicine. It's not a very good review, especially considering the author links to the Weston Price site, but she does raise a couple of good points. http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=385

In particular, she links to this comment on Amazon which actually seems to be a pretty good debunking of some of the claims of the book.
http://www.amazon.com/Colin-Campbell-Doesnt-China-Study/forum/Fx1YJPR95OHW08P/Tx3QD9DFF9KLKFN/1/ref=cm_cd_dp_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&s=books&asin=1932100660&store=books

[TZ]

3. 80-90% of disease caused by diet?

Yeah. Total woo. Does this guy know ANYTHING about genetics?!
And since we need proteins to synthesize enzymes among other things its blatantly dumb. I would like to know why humans didn't die out from cancer long ago, since primitive man consumed quite a bit of protein.
Sounds like someone pushing a political agenda.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Is it about the colorectal cancer disparity?

How epidemiologists have found that East Asians have a far less incidence of colorectal cancer than westerns? And when they start a western diet their rate shoots up to the western rate, and when they cease a western diet it goes back down?

Well that's obviously something in the diet. But what it is in the diet has yet to be determined. It's as big a mystery as the French paradox. To blame beef is premature, and to blame "big beef" is just a silly conspiracy theory.

[conscious evolution]

6. Same for breast cancer

Asian women have lower incidences of breats cancers in asia but have higher rates in the west.
Its thought that higher soybean consumption has something to do with the difference.

[bluedawg12]

5. I'm usually skeptical about grand unifying theories of disease.

There are many different kinds of cancer and diet is but one variable.