The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health
T. Colin Campbell, a Cornell nutritional biochemist, presents findings from his lab work and from a large-scale epidemiological study in rural China linking animal protein consumption to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. He walks through experiments on rats and casein, then broadens the argument to human populations, contending that Western diets high in animal foods drive much of what people call diseases of affluence. Campbell traces his own journey from mainstream dairy researcher to critic of the industry, and he takes on the political and financial forces that shape nutrition advice. His son Thomas Campbell coauthors the book, translating the science into practical guidance about eating whole plant foods. The book has been polarizing but remains a foundational text of the plant-based movement.
What you might want to know about The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A biochemist's argument, drawn from decades of research, that whole food plant-based diets sharply reduce chronic disease risk.
Yes. Roll has credited The China Study as a turning point in his own move to a plant-based diet, and he has hosted T. Colin Campbell on the Rich Roll Podcast to discuss the research in depth.
It is. Critics have questioned Campbell's interpretation of the epidemiological data, while defenders point to the broader body of research on whole food plant-based diets. Readers should treat it as a starting point, not the final word.
The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health was written by T. Colin Campbell, published in 2005 by BenBella Books.
The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health is 417 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health takes most readers 6 to 9 hours to finish.
The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
