China study- The vegan argument
China study showed that there is no heart disease or cancer or diabetes in undeveloped rural communities in the world with starch-based vegan diets.
Milos Pokimica
Written By: Milos Pokimica
Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Xiùying Wáng, M.D.
Updated June 9, 2023When we look at our mortality rates we will soon realize that something is not as it should be. One in four people will die from cancer one in four from heart disease or stroke. Even if we avoid death from some form of chronic disease we will have an increase in risk from many illnesses that will affect our quality of life even if we do not die from them. And this is not natural. For example, the situation in rural China is different as the China study showed.
There is no heart disease or cancer or diabetes at such a high rate in the animal kingdom also. What this means is that most of the so-called diseases of affluence are caused by diet. That is it. We all have health issues and diseases because of our evolutionary incongruent life. Genetic predisposition is not a root cause. It was a big debate about the root causes of modern health issues in the scientific community for a long time. Then a line of studies was conducted and the scientists found the answer. The scientist looked at people in different parts of the world that were stricken by poverty and as a consequence had plant-based diets that were based on some form of starch like rice for example with no marginal animal product consumption.
Maybe one of the most extensive studies in this field was The China–Cornell–Oxford Project (The China Study). A large observational study was conducted in rural China in the 1980s, co-financed by Oxford University, Cornell University, and the Government of China. The study was comprehensive and included 367 different variables.
A total of 65 counties in China with 6,500 adults were examined with a medical examination, blood tests, questionnaires, etc. In 1983 two random villages were chosen in each of the 65 rural counties of China and 50 families were randomly selected in each village. The eating habits of one adult member of each family, half men and half women were examined. The results were compared with mortality rates in those counties for 48 forms of cancers and other diseases during 1973-75.
It was one of the most significant studies ever done known as The China Study.
I will use some quotes from “The China Study”.
“In rural China, fat intake was less than half that in the United States, and fiber intake was 3 times higher. Animal protein intake was very low, only about 10% of the US intake. Mean serum total cholesterol was 127 mg/dL in rural China versus 203 mg/dL for adults aged 20-74 years in the United States. Coronary artery disease mortality was 16.7-fold greater for US men and 5.6-fold greater for US women than for their Chinese counterparts.”
(Campbell et al., 1998)
“When we were done, we had more than 8,000 statistically significant associations between lifestyle, diet, and disease variables.” “The results of these, and many other studies showed nutrition to be far more important in controlling cancer promotion than the dose of the initiating carcinogen.”
(Campbell et al., 1998)
And this correlation was for all types of cancers, not just breast cancer which was almost none existent but many other forms of cancers also. They even had a difficult time finding women who know other people who had breast cancer. People who were living in these rural areas of China knew about the disease but had never seen it. No acne for example either. Many diseases and cancers are associated with hormones like IGF-1.
No diabetes also. They were eating nothing but rice and still, diabetes was no concern. Paleo diet people have a hard time with that one. They believe white rice is correlated with diabetes like any other refined carbohydrate. Then no heart disease, and so on.
“People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease. People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest.”
(Campbell et al., 1998)
Whether you become vegan or not, they suggested you put as many plants as possible on your plate at every meal. The study concluded that the counties with high consumption of food of animal origin in 1983-84 were also expected to have higher mortality rates from western diseases, while the opposite was true for the counties that consumed more plant-based food.
Now we can say this is maybe not related to their diet because there are a lot of other factors like exercise. These people mostly do manual labor, and maybe that was what sustained them. There were other variables too. Also, again this is not the only study of this kind. The problem with this kind of data is that goes against the interests of the industry, and because it is a significant study, it can be hard time disproving it. What they do is usually make false logic knowing that most people do not care and need to hear something they like to justify their unhealthy behaviors.
There is a good quote from T. Colin Campbell in The China Study that said:
“Americans love to hear good things about their bad habits.”
(Campbell et al., 1998)
For example, after the book, The China Study was published and made an impact, the written debate came. In 2008, “nutritionist” Loren Cordain argued that:
“The fundamental logic underlying Campbell’s hypothesis (that low [animal] protein diets improve human health) is untenable and inconsistent with the evolution of our own species.”
Loren Cordain
She argued that there are cultures like the Maasai people and the Eskimos that do not suffer from health issues described by the authors. That is entirely false by the way. However, wait. How far does the evolution of our species go?
It is highly unlikely that educated people like her do not understand how evolution works. Maybe evolution goes as much as we need it to go so that we can justify our agenda. This is an inversion in the purest form. Nothing to do with science.
People like nutritionist Loren Cordain know very well what real evolution looks like, they are not idiots. For every single study, we will have doctors with Ph.D.s popping up like mushrooms trying to mud the water with different data just enough to make confusion knowing well enough that people do what feels good not what is right. There were charges against Campbell that he distorted and misrepresented the data from the study and that he had numerous flaws in his reasoning.
The problem was it was just statistical correlations. His work is actually not that of a big deal. There were other similar statistical studies and studies in biochemistry that later proved most of this statistical correlation observed in the ’80s in real in vivo and in vitro experiments. This study is old news just the book came out recently and made the system angry. Here is one example from sciencebasedmedicine.org.
“I did not look at the praise or criticism of others until after I read the book, and the following represents my independent impressions. I approached the book as I do any book with scientific references: I read until I come across a statement of fact that strikes me as questionable, and then I check the references given for the statement. This immediately got me off on the wrong foot with this book. In the first chapter, I found the statement: “Heart disease can be prevented and even reversed by a healthy diet.”
sciencebasedmedicine.org
The doctor concluded that: “Health is more than just diet.” You can trust The SkepDoc. Forget the study that took ten years and was compiled on 894 pages. She would tell you the real truth. She is a retired family physician who writes about pseudoscience and questionable medical practices and completed her internship in the Air Force (the second female ever to do so). How wrong of Dr. Campbell to say that. He did write in the book: “Eating foods that contain any cholesterol above 0 mg is unhealthy.”
This can be an emotional issue because most of us are addicted to our dietary habits. Just imagine that. Dr. Campbell observed a correlation between cholesterol and heart disease back in the ’80s. A very scientific and unbiased review of scienebasedmadice.org. This kind of conflicting data made my life hard. I had to spend years of my own research.
Are you confused? Here is one statistic from the study. In Guizhou County, there was no single recorded coronary artery disease death from 246,000 men over a period of 3 years. There is nothing natural about heart disease.
Number one terrorist killer in the West.
References:
T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies NutritionStudies.org
- Chen, K., & Jin, M. (2007). Mortality, Biochemistry, Diet and Lifestyle in Rural China. Geographical Study of the characteristics of 69 Counties in mainland China and 16 Areas in Taiwan. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 61(3), 271.[PubMed]
- Campbell, T. C., Parpia, B., & Chen, J. (1998). Diet, lifestyle, and the etiology of coronary artery disease: the Cornell China study. The American journal of cardiology, 82(10B), 18T–21T. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9149(98)00718-8
Related Posts
Do you have any questions about nutrition and health?
I would love to hear from you and answer them in my next post. I appreciate your input and opinion and I look forward to hearing from you soon. I also invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more diet, nutrition, and health content. You can leave a comment there and connect with other health enthusiasts, share your tips and experiences, and get support and encouragement from our team and community.
I hope that this post was informative and enjoyable for you and that you are prepared to apply the insights you learned. If you found this post helpful, please share it with your friends and family who might also benefit from it. You never know who might need some guidance and support on their health journey.
– You Might Also Like –

Learn About Nutrition
Milos Pokimica is a doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, medical health and nutrition writer, and nutritional science advisor. Author of the book series Go Vegan? Review of Science, he also operates the natural health website GoVeganWay.com
Medical Disclaimer
GoVeganWay.com brings you reviews of the latest nutrition and health-related research. The information provided represents the personal opinion of the author and is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information provided is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR ACCESSED THROUGH GoVeganWay.com
NEVER APPLY ANY LIFESTYLE CHANGES OR ANY CHANGES AT ALL AS A CONSEQUENCE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ IN GoVeganWay.com BEFORE CONSULTING LICENCED MEDICAL PRACTITIONER.
In the event of a medical emergency, call a doctor or 911 immediately. GoVeganWay.com does not recommend or endorse any specific groups, organizations, tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned inside.
Editor Picks –
Milos Pokimica is a doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, medical health and nutrition writer, and nutritional science advisor. Author of the book series Go Vegan? Review of Science, he also operates the natural health website GoVeganWay.com
Latest Articles –
Plant Based News
-
New Netflix Documentary Highlights Impact Of Fishing On Sharks
on July 4, 2025
-
NotCo And Doritos Launch Flamin’ Hot Plant-Based Chicken Nuggets And Mayo In Chile
on July 4, 2025
-
Iconic US National Parks To Get 50% Plant-Based Menus
on July 4, 2025
-
Kung Pao Chickpeas Stir Fry
on July 4, 2025
-
The Secret To Perfect Carrot Hot Dogs
on July 3, 2025
-
These Raw Apple Pie Bars Are Gluten-Free And Vegan
on July 3, 2025
-
Switzerland Rolls Out Labels Flagging Animal Suffering In Food Products
on July 3, 2025
Top Health News — ScienceDaily
- Parkinson’s reversal? One drug brings dying brain cells back to lifeon July 4, 2025
Stanford researchers discovered that dialing down an overactive enzyme, LRRK2, can regrow lost cellular “antennae” in key brain cells, restoring vital dopamine communication and neuroprotective signals in a mouse model of genetic Parkinson’s. After three months on the LRRK2-blocking drug MLi-2, damaged circuits revived and early signs of neuronal recovery emerged, hinting that timely treatment could not only halt but reverse disease progression—and perhaps benefit other Parkinson’s […]
- AI spots deadly heart risk most doctors can’t seeon July 3, 2025
An advanced Johns Hopkins AI model called MAARS combs through underused heart MRI scans and complete medical records to spot hidden scar patterns that signal sudden cardiac death, dramatically outperforming current dice-roll clinical guidelines and promising to save lives while sparing patients unnecessary defibrillators.
- Even low levels of air pollution may quietly scar your heart, MRI study findson July 3, 2025
Breathing polluted air—even at levels considered “safe”—may quietly damage your heart. A new study using advanced MRI scans found that people exposed to more air pollution showed early signs of scarring in their heart muscle, which can lead to heart failure over time. This damage showed up in both healthy individuals and people with heart conditions, and was especially noticeable in women, smokers, and those with high blood pressure.
- Sweet-smelling molecule halts therapy-resistant pancreatic canceron July 3, 2025
A compound best known for giving almonds and apricots their aroma may be the key to defeating hard-to-kill cancer cells. Japanese researchers found that benzaldehyde can stop the shape-shifting ability of aggressive cancer cells, which lets them dodge treatments and spread. By targeting a specific protein interaction essential for cancer survival—without harming normal cells—benzaldehyde and its derivatives could form the basis of powerful new therapies, especially when combined with […]
- Why anger cools after 50: Surprising findings from a new menopause studyon July 3, 2025
Anger isn’t just a fleeting emotion—it plays a deeper role in women’s mental and physical health during midlife. A groundbreaking study tracking over 500 women aged 35 to 55 reveals that anger traits like outbursts and hostility tend to diminish with age and menopause progression. This shift could signal enhanced emotional regulation during and after the reproductive transition. Surprisingly, the only form of anger that remained steady was suppressed anger.
- This sun-powered sponge pulls drinking water straight from the oceanon July 3, 2025
In a leap toward sustainable desalination, researchers have created a solar-powered sponge-like aerogel that turns seawater into drinkable water using just sunlight and a plastic cover. Unlike previous materials, this new 3D-printed aerogel maintains its efficiency at larger sizes, solving a key scalability issue. In outdoor tests, it produced clean water directly from the ocean without any electricity, pointing to a future of low-cost, energy-free freshwater production.
- The fatal mutation that lets cancer outsmart the human immune systemon July 3, 2025
Scientists at UC Davis discovered a small genetic difference that could explain why humans are more prone to certain cancers than our primate cousins. The change affects a protein used by immune cells to kill tumors—except in humans, it’s vulnerable to being shut down by an enzyme that tumors release. This flaw may be one reason treatments like CAR-T don’t work as well on solid tumors. The surprising twist? That mutation might have helped our brains grow larger over time. Now, researchers […]
PubMed, #vegan-diet –
- Exploring the role of gut microbiota in rheumatoid arthritis: the effects of diet and drug supplementationon July 2, 2025
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that mostly breaks out at the joints. It further causes bone erosion and decreased life quality due to severe pain. Current drugs are mainly focused on reducing pain, but unable to terminate the disease progression. This study aims to determine the effect of diet types (Western, Vegan and Mediterranean) on RA progression. Some dietary supplements and drug administration (Huayu-Qiangshen-Tongbi formula or Leflunomide plus Methotrexate) […]
- Blood biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in Australians habitually consuming various plant-based dietson June 30, 2025
BackgroundEvidence suggests that plant-based diets (PBDs) may be protective against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD).ObjectiveThis study examined associations between blood-based AD biomarkers in individuals 30-75 years without current or diagnosed cardiovascular disease following different PBDs versus regular meat-eating diets (RMEs).MethodsThis secondary analysis of the Plant-based Diets study measured Aβ(1-42)/Aβ(1-40), p-tau181, NFL, and GFAP in 237 plasma […]
- Zinc supplementation among zinc-deficient vegetarians and vegans restores antiviral interferon-α response by upregulating interferon regulatory factor 3on June 28, 2025
CONCLUSION: We identified zinc-dependent IRF3 expression as an essential cellular mechanism behind impaired IFNα response in zinc-deficient subjects. This may contribute to disturbed antiviral immunity and cause increased susceptibility to virus infections in vivo. Oral zinc supplementation effectively restored IRF3 and IFNα levels. Hence, nutritional interventions may become increasingly important in order to prevent health implications from micronutrient deficiencies among vegetarians and…
- Micronutrient intake and nutritional status in 16-to-24-year-olds adhering to vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian or omnivorous diets in Swedenon June 26, 2025
CONCLUSION: Youth, regardless of dietary practice, need support to ensure adequate micronutrient intakes, particularly for vitamin D and selenium. Further research is required to evaluate iodine nutrition in Swedish youth.
- Integrating comparative genomics and risk classification by assessing virulence, antimicrobial resistance, and plasmid spread in microbial communities with gSpreadCompon June 26, 2025
CONCLUSIONS: The gSpreadComp workflow aims to facilitate hypothesis generation for targeted experimental validations by the identification of concerning resistant hotspots in complex microbial datasets. Our study raises attention to a more thorough study of the critical role of diet in microbial community dynamics and the spread of AMR. This research underscores the importance of integrating genomic data into public health strategies to combat AMR. The gSpreadComp workflow is available at…
Random Posts –
Featured Posts –

Latest from PubMed, #plant-based diet –
- Low-Carbohydrate Diet Patterns That Favor High-Quality Carbohydrates Are Associated with Beneficial Long-Term Changes in Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in the Framingham Offspring…by Ghaida F Aloraini on July 4, 2025
CONCLUSIONS: LCD patterns that preserved high-quality carbohydrates while replacing low-quality carbohydrates sources, such as refined grains and added sugars, with fat and protein were inversely associated with inflammation and oxidative stress score, potentially lowering chronic disease risk.
- Linking the Planetary Health Diet Index to sarcopenia: the mediating effect of the non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (NHHR)by Huan Chen on July 4, 2025
CONCLUSION: This study highlights the observed negative correlation between PHDI and sarcopenia, with NHHR acting as a partial mediator. These findings emphasize the potential importance of dietary patterns in strategies aimed at preventing sarcopenia.
- Design and conduct of a full diet-controlled, parallel, 2-week residential trial for diabetes prevention without weight loss in Asian Chinese and European Caucasian adults with prediabetes: the New…by Ivana R Sequeira-Bisson on July 4, 2025
BACKGROUND: The causal underpinning of increased metabolic risk and previously observed dichotomous plasma metabolome in Asian Chinese vs. European Caucasian remains undetermined and may be hypothesised as attributed to ethnicity (genetic background), pathology (dysglycaemia) and/or lifestyle (habitual diet). We aimed to investigate the underlying cause(s) and the effect of dietary intervention on biomarkers of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in cohorts with prediabetes. The diets are a generic current…
- Cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Turkish MIND diet adherence scale for young adultsby Özge Esgin on July 3, 2025
CONCLUSIONS: The Turkish adaptation of the MIND Diet Adherence Scale can be utilized in its entirety, without the need to remove any items. This study affirms that the MIND Diet Adherence Scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool for assessing dietary habits in Turkish society.
- Effectiveness of dietary interventions in managing pediatric gastroesophageal reflux disease: a comprehensive systematic reviewby Abdulrahman A Alnaim on July 3, 2025
CONCLUSION: Although current evidence remains limited, this review highlights promising dietary strategies-especially plant-based diets and probiotics-for managing pediatric GERD. Future research should focus on personalized nutrition and long-term effectiveness to validate these non-pharmacological interventions.
- Association between pulp stone and Mediterranean diet: a clinical and radiographic studyby Nuray Bağcı on July 3, 2025
CONCLUSION: Based on the findings presented in this study, it can be said that there is an association between the pulp stone and the MedDiet and that the MedDiet nutrition increases the pulp stone.