The China Study

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lessismoreohio
lessismoreohio Posts: 910 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This book has been recommended to me by a friend who read it, followed the guidance in it and lost 70 pounds; greatly improving his health.

I've not yet read it but I know there is some controversy about the book.

What is all the controversy about?

I'll be starting the book today, but wanted to know what people are saying about it.

Replies

  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    the book draws connections between increased animal protien intake and increased cancer/heart disease rates. the lowest rates of cancer/heart disease were among the Chinese who followed a vegan diet based on economic necessity. The book's conclusion is seen as controversial, as others have found that diets that contain animal protien to be healthful as well, ala the Mediterranean diet.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Chinese vegan diet ? LOL
    nrc2029-f3.jpg
  • B_TEEN
    B_TEEN Posts: 95 Member
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    I'm not sure what would be controversial about adopting and experiencing the benefits of a whole-foods, plant-based diet.

    My suggestions are to read it with an open mind. The "Campbell Plan" book is a great companion book as it'll focus less on the science and addresses implementing a whole-foods, plant-based diet. There are other doctors who have performed research and endorsed the whole-foods, plant-based diet as well (Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Ornish, Dr. Mcdougall..), although each may have different slant on execution.

    In the last year, there has been an explosion of plant-based cookbooks -- there are a few gems out there, others are complex, some are gimmicky and a few not particularly healthy but better than the SAD.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    yarwell wrote: »
    Chinese vegan diet ? LOL
    nrc2029-f3.jpg
    its in the book though, groups of Chinese who live on diets of rice and veggies, with some soy products.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    edited August 2015
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    perhaps they do exist, but I saw pigs everywhere and the Chinese eat anything with legs that isn't furniture.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    yarwell wrote: »
    perhaps they do exist, but I saw pigs everywhere and the Chinese eat anything with legs that isn't furniture.

    you have been to china? cool! what did you see the modern day chinese eating? did they seem slimmer than americans?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    It's controversial because the 'facts' are cherry picked and the conclusions are a stretch to say the least.

    This lays out quite a few of the issues with the claims:

    http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/



  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    melimomTARDIS wrote: »
    yarwell wrote: »
    perhaps they do exist, but I saw pigs everywhere and the Chinese eat anything with legs that isn't furniture.

    you have been to china? cool! what did you see the modern day chinese eating? did they seem slimmer than americans?

    To be honest everyone seems slimmer than Americans. The Chinese are more homogenous and generally lightly built, less tall, dark haired and slimmer. Famine and starvation under Mao is still in living memory.

    There's the inevitable progress to Westernised food but any form of protein is typically stir fried with shoots, leaves or noodles and a bowl of rice if you were still hungry. The head of the chicken is a delicacy, dropping a live fish into boiling oil at the table is spectacular, and the crunch of eating deep fried small birds / chicks will be with me to the grave.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited August 2015
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    The problem with the study is that it jumps through hoops to draw the conclusions they wanted to draw from the beginning. It's not very objective.

    With that said, I would try any diet at least once. Who knows, you may find something that you really enjoy and that leads to weight loss at the same time. People lose large amounts of weight on different diets, and some of these diets' claims appear to be the polar opposites of each other, yet you will find some people in any particular diet who thrive and lose weight. Nothing replaces trying it for yourself and drawing your own conclusions.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    My stepmom grew up in vietnam, and moved to the states a decade ago, when she was about 40. She tells me that chinese are considered to be the best cooks, originators of all the yummiest dishes. And she loves/cooks Vietnamese food, trust me, but as she says "everyone knows CHINESE is the best.".
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    added- my Vietnamese stepmom says "this is why americans are so fat" a lot. lol.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    melimomTARDIS wrote: »
    yarwell wrote: »
    Chinese vegan diet ? LOL
    nrc2029-f3.jpg
    its in the book though, groups of Chinese who live on diets of rice and veggies, with some soy products.

    Right. IMO, the facts ARE cherry-picked--the link Sara gave contains a really good explanation (and yes I've read the book)--but that's the whole point. It doesn't compare "the Chinese" generally to, say, Americans, but different groups within China.

    The problem is that there are likely other crucial differences between groups that eat more or less animal fat (which is relevant to the claims made about that by Ancel Keys based on his studies post WW2 which are problematic for similar reasons.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    B_TEEN wrote: »
    I'm not sure what would be controversial about adopting and experiencing the benefits of a whole-foods, plant-based diet.

    What's controversial is insisting that the evidence means that vegan diets are more healthful than non vegan diets. The link Sara gave is a good explanation.
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
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    If you are not of Chinese heritage and do not plan on eating in a totally Chinese manner, then I'd find some studies that match those factors a bit closer for you. Nutritional research generally yields not so meaningful results.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    umayster wrote: »
    If you are not of Chinese heritage and do not plan on eating in a totally Chinese manner, then I'd find some studies that match those factors a bit closer for you. Nutritional research generally yields not so meaningful results.

    I dont understand, do you have to be Asian to benefit from an Asian style diet? My family ancestry is Irish and Portuguese. I dont see how knowing that helps me, health wise.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    I have read the whole book and I do mostly follow a vegetarian diet.
    But the book is sloppy science.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Yeah, I don't like the "China Study," but it's not aimed at Chinese people.
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
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    melimomTARDIS wrote: »
    umayster wrote: »
    If you are not of Chinese heritage and do not plan on eating in a totally Chinese manner, then I'd find some studies that match those factors a bit closer for you. Nutritional research generally yields not so meaningful results.

    I dont understand, do you have to be Asian to benefit from an Asian style diet? My family ancestry is Irish and Portuguese. I dont see how knowing that helps me, health wise.

    I think it is pretty obvious from the wide ranging diets that keep different populations nutritionally healthy vary by genetics or by specific counter-balancing elements of the diets.

    I'm not sure that adopting random elements of other populations diets has any validity.

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    lessismoreohio wrote: »
    This book has been recommended to me by a friend who read it, followed the guidance in it and lost 70 pounds; greatly improving his health.

    I've not yet read it but I know there is some controversy about the book.

    What is all the controversy about?

    I'll be starting the book today, but wanted to know what people are saying about it.

    Good books about plant based eating:
    Eat to Live by Fuhrman -- encourages eating 90% vegan/plant based and gives suggested meal plans and recipes.
    Thug Kitchen -- fantastic recipes that are mostly vegan/plant based.

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