China Study and cancer

Has anyone read this book? If so, do you believe that animal protein causes cancer?

If whenever you eat it you burn it, you'll get cancer from all the carcinogens in the burnt meat =]

I thought it had a certain amount of sense and then Melkor analyzed the background of the "scientific studies".  Things like people making up data were occurring as I recall.

No, I do not believe that animal protein causes cancer. 

Certain lifestyle factors that increase cancer rates are associated with wealth.  So is eating animal protein.  So there may be a correlation but there's no evidence whatsoever of a causation.

Yes, I have read the book. I don't know that it causes it, but I do believe that it can promote growth of some cancer cells.

no I haven't. and no, I don't believe that animal protein causes cancer. unless you burn it and eat it all the time...

also, if animal protein is a carcinogen then almost every American would have cancer.

Who's Melkor?

There is a link, whether causal or otherwise.  Other studies besides the China Study have confirmed it.  I'm not aware of any suggestion that Campbell "made up" data, although I've seen some criticism of the data collection methods and a general lack of rigor in the scientific analysis.  Still, the China Study is fairly old news.  You'd think if there were serious flaws in the methodology, somebody would have published a critique by now.  If anybody has, I haven't found it.

Regardless of cancer, eating animal protein causes bad karma. 

I don't believe in karma, nor that eating animal protein is in any way evil or sinful. I just want to know if it causes cancer or not.

About the best answer you are going to get is: maybe.

Depends on the type.... grain/corn/antibiotic fed animal protein, I believe will promote cancer... along with charred animal proteins... but if people read labels and buy grass-fed/organic animal proteins then they will be doing their bodies a world of good.

I read it and thought it was based on someone's imagination rather than any real scientific evidence.  They they didn't study actual people over a long period of time, only statistics.  The study that found the link between heart disease and saturated fats followd a fifty thousand doctors over twenty years and is still going on.  They studied the entire life span of these men.  A similar study was done using nurses.  Compared with these real, scientific studies, the China Study is junk research.  Anybody can make statistics say anything they want.

Human beings are omnivores and that's why we've survived.  Maybe they should study the Masai in Africa who eat almost all meat, milk and even the blood of cattle.  Or perhaps Eskimos, who eat almost all animal protein.  If you really think you'll find more examples.

i beleive animal protein can and does cause cancer, because there are some people that go on whole food diets that are animal free and they get rid of there cancer, alot of the meat americans eat are sick and injected with harmones. but even so, not eating meat seems to be very benificial to the heart. I mean we could argue all day (i eat meat in moderation) but since wehn is eating something dead natural?? i dont think it is honestly but thats just my opinion. alot of athletes say themselves that becoming vegetarian make them better athletes, less stress on your heart less cholesterol, and red meat increases your risk for heart disease so yes I do beleive that meat can cause cancer. In other countrys they can't afford to eat meat all the tinme like in america and they are not dying from heart disease like we are or cancer~erica

Cancer is caused by all kinds of things.  Smoking cigarettes, being overweight, being inactive, genetic predisposition, environmental exposure to toxins, or simply by living a very long time.... cancer is much more prevalent in the elderly than in the young.  Chinese people are wealthier, eating more meat, but also (probably) eating more food than in the past, driving more cars, breathing in more pollution.  I would say it's difficult to pin down diet as the sole factor.

People who eat too much meat, too much fried food and too many dairy products and who are inactive can find they become overweight.... this in itself presents health risks, including cancer.  However people whose diets contain moderate to small amounts of these foods are not necessarily at higher risk.

So would you say becoming overweight is a significantly larger risk factor for cancer than the consumption of eating meat by itself? People on the paleo diet are able to eat large amounts of meat but most actually lose weight instead of getting overweight. And they attribute this to limiting carbs, sugars, and starches. So in the case of people eating large amounts of meat and dairy, is there a low risk of cancer if they are able to do so without getting overweight?

 

You are statistically less likely to get cancer if you are a non-smoker, a light user of alcohol, a healthy weight for your height, active on a daily basis, if you do not have a history of certain cancers in the family, if you do not live/work in a toxic environment and if you enjoy a healthy, balanced diet....   And the word that counts is 'statistically'.   Even people who are non-smokers, non-drinkers, a healthy weight, very active, no genetic predisposition, live in the cleanest environment and enjoy a good diet.... can get cancer as well.

It would not be a balanced diet to eat 'large amounts of meat and dairy'... that would be just as imblanced and unhealthy a diet as someone who ate.... let's say for argument's sake.... nothing but raw veg, fruit, nuts and seeds. 

Are you scared of cancer?

What would you consider to be active on a daily basis and a toxic environment? Yes, I am scared of cancer ever since hearing of the China Study. Learning that animal protein may cause cancer helped lead me to believe it would be very healthy to eat only raw vegan foods. Plus the people that seem to be doing quite well on that diet. 

'Active for good health' = about half an hour of something physically active each day.   A brisk walk, a cycle ride, dancing... etc.   A toxic environment would be where there is a lot of pollution... working in a building with asbestos, exposed to the fumes of heavy industry on a constant basis etc.

Animal protein, all by itself, does not cause cancer if eaten in moderate amounts and as part of a healthy diet.   What can really make people ill, however, is unilaterally cutting things out of their diet for no good reason than 'they read it on the internet'.  Self-diagnosis and self-medicating with whacky diets can be incredibly dangerous.   Living with hypochondria doesn't help your mental state either.

If you're scared about illness, why not go talk to your doctor for some reassurance and professional advice?