"The Chinese study" (Colin Campbell): reviews and criticism

Along with fiction, the shelves of bookshelves include works of other trends. A similar book is also the "Chinese study". Colin Campbell, its author, conducted a substantive study of certain types of food, building a link with chronic diseases that they can cause. What has turned out of this, let's try to figure it out.

Subject for thought

This medical research, which later turned into an independent work, is rightly called an unprecedented experiment. It began in 1983, and its participation in it was confirmed by China, America and England. For more than twenty years, the search for an answer to the question of how products of animal origin are associated with various diseases to which most of humanity is exposed has continued. "The Chinese study" (Colin Campbell, professor of the Department of Biochemistry, wrote it in collaboration with his son, a scientist Thomas) was published in 2004. By 2011, the circulation of copies sold exceeded 500 thousand. This put the book on the bestseller list.

Theoretical bases of research

The statistical data of the counties of the Republic of China were taken as a basis . Inhabitants of these areas in detail told about the preferences in food, and after handed over a blood on biochemistry and other necessary analyzes. As the main disease, which linked the assumptions of scientists, cancer was selected. In total, the study involved over 6,500 people, and according to its results, 8,000 connections between the disease and nutritional factors were established.

The "Chinese study" (Colin Campbell remained curator and main inspirer throughout the experiment) read the results of experiments. All of them were resolved by the state. Moreover, the scientist and his team had 74 grants, allowing them to engage in scientific research. In the laboratory, rats infected with carcinogenic aflatoxin were used as experimental subjects. In their diet, protein was more or less present. Together, this led to the development of cancerous tumors, which again confirmed the link between disease and food. Scientists have found a way to slow down and even accelerate the development of tumors.

What we eat and what not

After several years of direct research, it took time to fix the tests on paper and prepare the results in a printed version. He prepared the book for publication and was told about it by Campbell himself. The "Chinese study" confidently asserted that people who do not eat animal products (such were almost all types of meat, eggs, milk and cheese, and refined carbohydrates) are less likely to develop chronic diseases. As an alternative, it was proposed to increase and diversify the consumption of cereals, legumes, fruits, herbs and vegetables. Another condition for the safe use of these products is their processing. Plant ingredients have a large number of biochemical components that can participate in the reactions needed by the human body.

The right to vegetarianism

As soon as the book goes on sale, readers' reviews are inevitable. There was no exception to the "Chinese study": the criticism of scientific and medical work boiled down to the fact that its author urged not to eat meat, citing the fact that it is allegedly the main catalyst for the development of diseases. Some viewed this as discrimination according to taste preferences, to which Campbell responded that he did not insist that his readers become vegetarians, but only suggested that they exclude certain foods from the diet and justify such a choice from the scientific and practical side. In 2010, Bill Clinton spoke positively about the book. After an operation on the heart, he followed the advice of its authors, abandoning dairy products and focusing on vegetables.

"Chinese research" (Colin Campbell): reviews of the book

Simultaneously with ordinary readers, for whom the author's work was presented as practically valid recommendations, the work expected a criticism of fellow scientists. Extensive conclusions of specialists from various fields led to public outcry, sparking numerous controversies and discussions about the reliability of the presented studies.

Thus, in the author's work methodological errors are found. He did not take into account the differences in the level of activity of subjects, geography and climate. A separate part of the experiments is not supported by scientific evidence, but is based primarily on the observations and personal conclusions of Campbell, although confirmed in the laboratory. In a word, this turned out to be not enough for an unambiguous conclusion. The results, based on the causal relationship of eating animal products with diseases, should be considered not as recommendations, but as hypotheses that should be used as a basis for future more detailed studies.

Proper nutrition is the best option

Colin Campbell pays much attention to vegetables as an example of healthy and proper food, but does not fully disclose the issues of the recommended diet, which includes meat as the main competitor to plant components. About the role of meat in the human diet, almost nothing says "Chinese research". Critics' comments are very strict: if you focus on vegetarianism, then what about heavy metals and pesticides that get into our bodies with food? Forgetting about the importance of a balanced diet, Campbell goes past the problems of unbalanced diets that exclude meat. Among such problems, nutritionists call the lack of proteins necessary for the body of amino acids, zinc and various groups of vitamins.

Scale disappointment

The book's summary promises a real revolution in views on the principles of proper nutrition. But what happened in practice? According to readers, the blurring of the facts and the length of the narrative are the main drawbacks upon which the "Chinese study" was built. Colin Campbell is filling his work with all his might, praising the work, promising his personal contribution to a vision of healthy eating.

But the truth readers did not recognize. Instead, there are hundreds of pages with a detailed description of the properties of products that are already known. In a fairly veiled form, and sometimes without proof, Campbell tells us about the harm that animal proteins cause. Particular importance is given to fast food, which is widely spread in our country.

Thus, the book "Chinese research" does not bring anything new. The theory of studying a very interesting and necessary topic is maximally stretched to the book format. In fact, it was possible to dispense with an article in a scientific journal.

Those who read the "Study" and those who did not, will come to one conclusion: if you want to take care of your health, do not abuse animal products, but focus on those that contain natural vitamins and nutrients.