RDN’s Book Review: The China Study (2024)

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Examining the validity of arguments in The China Study

RDN’s Book Review: The China Study (1)

By:Megan Holdaway, RDN

  • Tuesday, July 9, 2013
  • 4 Minute Read

In 2013, the Silicon Valley Registered Dietitian Nutritionist’s Book Club gathered to discuss The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell. Originally published in 2005, the book continues to be discussed among consumers and health professionals.

Here are some of the main ideas in the book:

  • Chinese villages that consumed the least amount of animal protein had less cancer than the villages that consumed more animal protein.
  • Consumption of casein (a protein found in milk) promotes cancer in rats.
  • Nutrition must be considered holistically: “nutrition represents the combined activities of countless food substances. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
  • The How to Eat section of the book recommends a vegan eating pattern.

Areas of Agreement

Our group strongly agreed with a few principles in the book: eating more whole and minimally processed foods and plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables and beans will improve the health of most Americans. We also agreed that nutrients can’t be looked at in isolation, that the overall pattern of food choices and diets over time are what matter.

Where We Differ

Club members observed many holes in Campbell’s arguments. Here are just a few:

  • The China Study is an observational study; in other words, it only identifies relationships between different variables. It does not prove that particular behaviors or food choices cause certain health outcomes. In the study, many other variables were overlooked that could increase cancer risk—such as industrialization, exposure to chemicals, and sugar and refined carbohydrate consumption. These could easily have been the culprits responsible for differences in cancer risk among groups.
  • Although individuals in the counties studied may have been vegan, whole counties did not follow vegan food patterns, so it is difficult to understand how Campbell came up with his conclusions that all animal products should be omitted.
  • Campbell’s experiments with casein were conducted with laboratory rats and mice. His hypothesis that casein behaves the same way in a whole food as when fed in isolation is flawed and violates his own philosophy to look at diets holistically.
  • Campbell is very selective in building his bibliography. A more comprehensive review of the literature reveals scientific research confirming the many health benefits that milk and dairy foods provide. For this reason, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that Americans consume two to three servings of milk and dairy foods per day.
  • A long-term study conducted in Taiwan and published in 2014 found that increased dairy consumption meant lower risks of mortality from cardiovascular disease, especially stroke, but found no significant association with the risk of cancer.

Perhaps one of the most significant flaws of the book is that the recommendations are so extreme. Diets that remove entire food groups have the potential for unintended consequences of underconsuming essential nutrients. Bringing food choices into better alignment with the Dietary Guidelines is a preferred approach—specifically eating more underconsumed foods such as vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, beans, lean meats and fish while also reducing the consumption of refined grains, fats and sugars. These changes will go a long way toward promoting health.

Bottom Line

While we found this book interesting, our club members are sticking with a more balanced approach to nutrition and cannot recommend The China Study. We equipped each other with talking points to use when someone—friend, neighbor, relative, client or colleague—asks questions about The China Study. It is important for consumers to understand the basis for Campbell’s flawed conclusions and the potential negative consequences of following diets that omit whole food groups.

To learn more from registered dietitian nutritionists on timely nutrition topics, subscribe to the Let's Eat HealthyAsk a Nutritionistvideo series.

References
Huang LY, Wahlqvist ML, Huang YC, Lee MS. Optimal dairy intake is predicated on total, cardiovascular, and stroke mortalities in a Taiwanese cohort. J Am Coll Nutr. 2014;6:426-436. doi:10.1080/07315724.2013.875328
  • Healthy Eating
  • Food Groups

RDN’s Book Review: The China Study (2)

Megan Holdaway, RDN

Megan Holdaway, RDN

Megan Holdaway is a registered dietitian nutritionist and the Nutrition Science Program Manager at Dairy Council of California.

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RDN’s Book Review: The China Study (2024)

FAQs

RDN’s Book Review: The China Study? ›

It does not prove that particular behaviors or food choices cause certain health outcomes. In the study, many other variables were overlooked that could increase cancer risk—such as industrialization, exposure to chemicals, and sugar and refined carbohydrate consumption.

Is The China Study reputable? ›

Stephan Guyenet reviewing the book for Red Pen Reviews commented that The China Study is a "scholarly and well-written book" but three of its key scientific claims are "not very well supported overall".

What did The China Study reveal? ›

The scientists found that those women who ate more fat and animal-based foods had high blood testosterone levels, and thus higher risk for breast cancer.

What diet does The China Study recommend? ›

Eat many types of vegetables (Popeye was right, spinach is a great food). Eat less (but maybe eat some) fish, vegetable oils, and few refined carbohydrates (Yes, it means to cut back or cut out eating candy and cakes). Avoid meats and dairy (this last category is the one that is the most controversial).

Who funded The China Study? ›

1994. AICR helps fund The China Study, led by T. Colin Campbell, PhD, of Cornell University, along with Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine.

What are the flaws in The China Study? ›

It does not prove that particular behaviors or food choices cause certain health outcomes. In the study, many other variables were overlooked that could increase cancer risk—such as industrialization, exposure to chemicals, and sugar and refined carbohydrate consumption.

How good is China for study? ›

One of the outstanding reasons to study in China is the quality of education provided by the best learning institutions in the country. Its government specifically believes in equipping citizens with the best knowledge, ensuring learning institutions are top-notch.

What is The China Study in a nutshell? ›

The China Study (2005) is a controversial book that explores the connection between diet and disease, showing you how a diet high in animal-based proteins can lead to a host of health problems. Based on scientific data, these blinks explain why if you want to stay healthy, you should go vegan.

What was the outcome of The China Study? ›

The results also showed a connection between cancer, and diets high in animal protein. The authors explain: 'A pattern was beginning to emerge: nutrients from animal-based foods, increased tumor development, while nutrients from plant-based foods, decreased tumor development.

How many people were surveyed in The China Study? ›

The Campbells' book was released in 2005, but it was based on a study that happened a few decades earlier in China. Back in the early '80s, Campbell, together with researchers from the University of Oxford and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, surveyed 6,500 people from 65 counties across rural China.

What diseases can be reversed by a plant-based diet? ›

Plant-based diets can reverse chronic disease

This way of eating can also reverse diabetes (8), fatty liver disease (9) and early stages of prostate cancer (10). The more plant-based the diet after a diagnosis of breast (11) and colon cancer (12), the better the chance of remission and survival.

How do people in China lose weight? ›

In TCM, food is divided into five elements: cold, cool, neutral, warm, and hot. Chinese people hoping to lose weight are supposed to avoid 'cold' and 'damp' foods. Such foods include those rich with refined sugars, baked foods, and dairy products. Chinese people consider tea as a good weight loss tool.

What is the theory of The China Study? ›

The China Study was an epidemiological study that compared diet and health outcomes for rural Chinese, finding that extremely low protein (animal), fat, and cholesterol intake improved health outcomes even within a population that eats far less animal products than Americans.

Why is the study of China important? ›

Knowing China is more important than ever in this era of China-U.S. strategic competition, and the field of China Studies bears the responsibility to generate a broader and deeper understanding of China. Researchers have done an excellent job, especially since the establishment of China-U.S. relations in the 1970s.

Is China a safe place to study? ›

While China is generally considered safe, the country is not without certain risks − especially for student travelers. Familiarize yourself with Chinese customs and regulations, but understand that the legal system can be opaque and the enforcement of laws arbitrary.

For which study China is best? ›

Hot Programs
  • Computer Science.
  • Nursing.
  • Software Engineering.
  • Dentistry.
  • Pharmacy.
  • Civil Engineering.
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine.
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

What is China Studies? ›

Sinology, also referred to as China studies, is a subfield of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on China.

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