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Dr. Mercola attacks the China Study: clash of the titans


Robyn Openshaw - Sep 09, 2010 - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links


When Joe Mercola contradicts the basics of nutrition taught on GreenSmoothieGirl.com and in my books, we get hundreds of emails.

Mercola’s newsletter yesterday supposedly exposes the “DARK SIDE” of the China Study. I’m not going to link to it and therefore give it a higher page rank. It doesn’t deserve it.

Before undertaking to explain what’s radically wrong with this article, let me say this: I agree with Mercola on some macro issues:

  1. That prevention and natural remedies are the best first-line treatments, rather than drug/surgery medical interventions.
  2. That far too much of our data comes from research that drug companies and agribusiness paid for.
  3. That sugar and processed foods are killing us. (Mercola implies, with the “false dilemma” logical fallacy, in yesterday’s newsletter that either animal proteins are killing us, or processed foods are, as if they are mutually exclusive.)

But we must use critical thinking skills to expose fatal flaws in his comments about Dr. T. Colin Campbell and the China Study.

(When you put yourself in the public domain, you invite dissent. Juxtaposition of ideas creates a climate for the truth to emerge.)

As I strongly disagree with Mercola here, I will invariably get some angry email. Most readers will appreciate that my only motive is to learn and then explain the truth (or as close as I can get to it) in this world of nutrition that has so many competing voices.

My own 12 Steps to Whole Foods is a compendium of the best nutrition practices. It advocates for eating much more plant food (especially raw food) than the average American gets and is a practical HOW-TO guide, more than a philosophical debate or meta-review of research. It purposefully doesn’t advocate for vegetarianism or veganism, although I am supportive of others who choose to wear those labels. My own family, except for two vegetarian daughters, eats a bit of homemade kefir, and occasional animal products when we are away from home.

Mercola attempts to discredit the joint effort of Oxford and Cornell Universities by calling theirs an “observational” study, which he infers is somehow inferior to having once had a medical practice.

The Oxford/Cornell China study is a very sound, huge, comprehensive study spanning over 25 years. My own advanced degree, background in research, and understanding of research principles, lead me to say this:

I am thankful, finally, for a vast piece of research in epidemiology that was not funded or influenced by the drug companies or agribusiness (which primarily hawks refined corn/wheat/soy products and processed and refined and GMO foods). I see no conflicts of interest in the Oxford/Cornell research. I see one of the purest voices in nutrition in Campbell and his team.

I interviewed him by phone as I wrote this, and he said, “I feel personally responsible to Americans to tell them what we did with their money,” because taxpayers funded the China study, not profit-motivated industries.

The research was the next natural step from methodical and rigorous animal studies. It’s a remarkable piece of research examining 6,500 adults in 130 villages of rural China where some populations eat lots of animal protein, and others eat very little. The book The China Study represents the totality of Campbell’s experiences. Those include his many years of work in the Philippines studying malnourished children, to his experimental lab research funded by the National Institutes of Health, to the human studies project in China.

Mercola refers to Campbell “forcing” everyone into vegetarianism. This makes no sense on two levels beyond the unilateral emotionalism of the word.

First, the two diets Campbell studied were 20% animal protein (which correlates to the Standard American Diet) and 5% animal protein. Neither groups studied were vegetarian. The 5% group correlates to a low-animal-protein diet, similar to Daniel’s Biblical diet, as well as the scriptural “Word of Wisdom” counsel to eat meat “sparingly, only in times of winter/famine/cold.”

Second, Campbell takes the tone of scientist. He reports and interprets the data. He doesn’t “force” or even recommend any specific diet. He allows the reader to infer from the data whatever diet they choose to follow. He isn’t an internet maven selling a philosophy; he’s a researcher who found the opposite of what he expected to. He grew up on a dairy cattle farm and thought, well into adulthood, that a high-protein diet was ideal. Like John Robbins, son of the Baskin Robbins founder, only data convinced him otherwise. I personally am thankful for honest and pure truth seekers, willing to turn another way, when data challenges popular culture and custom.

Mercola attempts to downgrade the massive China project as “an observational study,” which he says does not “prove causation.” This is puzzling to me based on a three logic flaws.

First, Campbell is a scientist and would never say his study “proves causation.” No scientist would. I’m not a scientist but know enough about it to be aware you never achieve or claim “proof of causation.” Mercola gives a two-sentence primer on how the scientific process works: initial study, hypothesis, controlled trial. Which is precisely what Campbell and the research team did:

For the rest of this report, click here.

Posted in: 12 Steps To Whole Food, Lifestyle, Whole Food

18 thoughts on “Dr. Mercola attacks the China Study: clash of the titans”

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Go GSG! I need to hear this full argument. I have been studying this issue for a while, including reading The China Study and reading Dr. Fuhrman’s stance. Something I read (sorry I can’t remember) indicated that there was some sort of connection between WAPF and Mercola? I would also like to hear from you what could be causing people to not “feel well” or not have enough energy from a completely vegan diet. THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!!

  2. Anonymous says:

    All of you posting on here that eat a somewhat vegetarian diet. I would love it if you could share with me some recipes that my family, including 3 small boys would love to eat:)

  3. Anonymous says:

    My intelligence is insulted on a regular bases by friends and clients reciting some headline by Dr. M. as if he is bona fide (unbiased) authority.

    Professor Campbell:

    Starting as a ‘believer’, drinking a gallon of cows’ milk daily and diving deeply into his research career intending to focus on ways to save the starving people by increasing their intake of animal protein and ultimately passing beyond ‘believer’ to ‘seer’, professor Campbell has certainly ‘evolved’ and in the process factually supported what many of us have known and intuited for a long time, and done so, masterfully.

    Dr. M:

    Following Dr. M from the side for many years, we have watched him ‘de-volve’ as his dietary recommendations of many years ago suggested a much more balanced, sensible and humane approach (can’t find those articles anymore). He admittedly comes from a standard (backwards) allopathic medical foundation and has not been [the self-proclaimed] authority on nutrition or preventive medicine for long… He’s just getting his feet wet compared to many of us.

    As time has ticked, more and more, Dr.M, ignoring obvious physiological and instinctive indicators, pushes Meat-Meat-Meat, Milk-Milk-Milk and Pills-Pills-Pills. Examples include strong suggestions, even employing scare tactics to induce people to consume all manner of cadavers (disease and murder), raw cows’ and goats’ milk (disease and Infanticide), raw hen eggs (salmonella), Krill oil (murder and ecosystem devastation) and potentially imbalance producing Pills-Pills-Pills, sprays and fluids, D3 (unwise hormone replacement therapy), Etc.

    It would be interesting to list all of the super-hyped (must take, don’t leave home without, take-or-die,) supplements pushed by Dr.M, though it would be a huge undertaking, and lay out a day’s supply, then if anyone would be willing, swallow all that stuff and wash it down with the recommended volume of water. I’m pretty sure there would be no room left for food… And just imagine the weird chemistry experiment that would take place inside… Sane nutrition? I don’t think so.

    Dr. M has, on several occasions I am aware of, acted rudely towards professor Campbell. Professor Campbell did or said nothing to provoke such inflammatory behavior.

    I appreciate that Dr. M comes down hard on GMOs and EMR (electro-magnetic radiation-pollution), but it is inexcusable that he so powerfully poisons the minds of trusting followers on matters of something so fundamental as diet. And it is unconscionable that he so ruthlessly disregards the welfare of all non-human animals and the commons.

    I have a theory about the reason(s) for Dr. M’s perverted thinking and ‘selective’ guidance but will keep it to myself, and it is not my place to guess about his character of motivation. Could be, he means well, but that does not help the people harmed by irresponsibly delivered advice or the suffering and death of countless non-human animals which result from the following of such advice.

    I had a lot more to say about this sad situation, but that’s about all the attention I wish to put on it, and your letter, Robyn did a beautiful job. Thank you!

    Billy

  4. Anonymous says:

    I promised myself I wasn’t going to get too involved in this, but since my repeated attempts to post my comments, via blog, and yesterday through GSG support, keep coming up empty handed, I’m having a go at it again.

    Pottenger didn’t study the American diet. He did study different portions of meat, but the interesting conclusions had nothing to do with that, and instead whether the diet was raw or cooked/pasteurized (diet consisted of meat, milk, and cod liver oil, in varying portions). The outcome was seriously bad health for 4 generations of cooked diet, and normal/good health for raw, regardless of meat quantity.

    I’m going to try posting this now again (only a small part of my original comments that for some reason never posted.)

    Liz

    1. Robyn Openshaw says:

      Liz, yes, Pottenger studied cats, too. My point with Pottenger that his (very old, now) studies indicate that third-generation, we reap the whirlwind of the bad habits of our parents and grandparents, not just us.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Robyn,

    I emailed my full comments yesterday, just waiting to see when they hit. Incidentally, one of the topics I bring up is the studies of Weston Price, no surprise there. While he didn’t study a single culture for 25 years, he did study indigenous cultures across the globe, most of whom presumably had been following the same diet for hundreds if not thousands of years. He found very healthy people eating vastly different diets, including animal protein consumption in varying quantities (but always of the highest quality). What are your thoughts on his studies and how they relate to the China Study? Have you found any holes in his studies?

    Blessings,

    Liz

  6. Anonymous says:

    From your blog, 11/29/09:

    I wish everyone were dedicated to the truth, WHATEVER that truth may be, rather than promotion of an agenda. If I found compelling evidence that eating the Atkins Diet was truly a way to be lean, energetic, and healthy into old age, I’d promote that.

    I completely agree, which is why I am so interested in your thoughts on the studies of Weston Price. His global observations and studies of cultures throughout the world, healthfully consuming varying quantities of animal proteins, could be the one real contender for the China Study. You have a unique perspective, being so well versed in the China Study, and your clear drive and pursuit for the ultimate truth in nutrition would provide an interesting perspective if you ever were interested in going down that path and looking seriously into Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.

    I personally take what WAPF foundation states with a grain of salt, but there is a difference between WAPF and the original studies of Weston Price. I don’t believe we should use the studies as a green card for consuming massive quantities of animal protein, which the WAPF seems to lean toward.

    I’ve spent way too much time on this (including my original comments that as of yet are still unpublished on your blog), so I will leave it there.

    I am really, really happy with the green smoothies, as is my husband, and one of my two young boys. I try to only eat animal protein of the highest quality – pastured everything, and very, very importantly, I soak all of my grains before consuming (oats need warm water, some acid, and whole wheat in a 1:10 ratio in order to reduce phytic acid, and therefore maximize the bodies absorption of minerals/prevent mineral and bone loss, other grains mostly just need warm water, some type of acid, and varying amounts of time). Perhaps I am just preaching to the choir on this one, I hadn’t seen if you had gotten into this or not.

    Again, rambling, thanks for all of your awesome contributions, I really appreciate your extensive research and the contributions you have made to discussion of health. I just wish I could get your program at our library instead of having to buy it.

    Blessings,

    Liz

  7. Anonymous says:

    Message received through email:

    Thanks for “Clash of the Titans”, but I think calling Mercola a “titan”

    is a stretch, particularly on a topic in which he’s so ill-prepared to

    speak authoritatively.

    I’ve spent much of the past two days reviewing his work and commenting

    on his site (and, regrettably, driving up his search standing), only to

    realize that he being opportunistic, opining on The China Study because

    it has been in the press, and offering sensationalistic headlines that

    have no support in his text.

    On your background, this may interest you. I spoke with the operators of

    two facilities that were licensed to raise full-blooded wolves (my

    understanding was that they were acting as sanctuaries, but I haven’t

    confirmed that). They both kept the wolves on plant-based diets and the

    wolves lived longer, healthier lives. While I visited one, I asked what

    they ate. The operator pointed to a bucket of produce. She said she had

    a friend who owned a produce store and she got perfectly good whole,

    plant-based foods from the friend to feed the wolves. I asked if the

    wolves liked it and she gave me a fascinating dinner-time demonstration

    that immediately collapsed the wolf-as-carnivore image.

    Finally, on Denise Minger, check out her Facebook page – she describes

    herself as a “professional sock puppeteer”.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Message received through email:

    Anyone with a speck of intelligence will weigh truths against their own experience. I do not trust every study, nor do I trust every doctor (even one who has practiced for 25 years)

    I think that we have the power to discover what is the best way to eat or live right within us. I have been eating using the precepts taught by “Fit for Life” ever since I read the book many years ago. My triglycerides are extremely low. When I quit eating all processed foods, and meats, pre-cancer cells disappeared from my uterus. My health returned. I also never suffer from heartburn, indigestion nor constipation. My daughter also eats this way and likewise feels healthy and fit. The “test” is in the condition of the skin. Does it glow with health or is it pasty white? Are the eyes clear, hair shiny? Does the body have energy?

    We can educate ourselves and we can draw our own conclusion from self study and observation. We can teach others how to do the same.

    Kudos to you GreenSmoothieGirl. As the old saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. Keep it up. It is a shame we can’t expose every quack nor can we muzzle anyone who is able to support a website.

    Your integrity and others who follow this life style will speak for themselves.

    Sincerely,

    Karen

  9. Anonymous says:

    Message received through email:

    Robyn,

    You are not the only professional to note Mercola’s blunders. He has mentioned many items concerning nutrition in the recent past that have no scientific or physiological basis. Indeed, I think he is “flying by the seat of his pants” most of the time. I have heard and read of many other pseudo-professionals that get a notion to write something that has no evidence of truth or sound nutrition. I like your posture regarding nutrition and health advice. Keep up the good work. You have my support.

    Blaine Chambers Ed.D.

    Founder, NutraPerfect Inc.

    Orem, Utah

  10. Anonymous says:

    Message received through email:

    Hi Robyn,

    As a pebble in this Mercola hilarity here is my experience:

    Several weeks ago he published a note warning of the “dangers of HFCS.” Hey,

    everyone can agree on that, eh? So I began to read the article. He certainly

    began by warning about HFCS but then launched into a broader attack on fructose.

    This devolved into a “sources of fructose” and of course fruit was on that list.

    When I wrote in the comments that the China Study (CS) and the resultant 80/10/10

    Diet and others (yours included) line of thought find nothing wrong with being a

    fruitarian I was vilified with a number of angry posts, some with references.

    The notable reply to my comment came from Dr. Mercola himself in which he said that

    “After I had cared for 10,000 patients and seen the diverse needs of such a group

    then I could understand how the 80/10/10 protocol (nee CS) would not be applicable.”

    I began writing a detailed refutation of all of these comments. Then I realized

    something. While they were defending there “holy” belief system and I had intruded on

    their territory, they did not show compassion for my viewpoint: >That “maybe” a basic sugar

    in human biochemistry >fructose< was not a bad actor, and that while HFCS should be

    excluded (if you choose), fructose can not be. **Can not be.**<

    After realizing the nature of the intellectual discourse at Mercola (insular) I stopped editing and

    crafting my refutation comment.

    Mercola and Robert Young and the entire "Oil and Nuts" crowd will believe what they wish to

    believe. And it is their right to continue to believe that. It is, in the end, only their interference

    with my equal right to pursue my 25 bananas a day that would change my respect for their

    chosen way of life.

    "Everyone has an opinion and everyone is right." — Arnold Kauffman

    Take care,

    Alan

    1. Robyn Openshaw says:

      Alan, that’s funny. And you’re right to reserve your energies for things more productive! Only 10,000 patients? He said 25,000 patients in the anti-China-Study diatribe. Random.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Message received through email:

    Good job reviewing the “dark side” . Although I get useful information from Dr M. I find that outside credentials are less and less important to me as I become my own authority based on how I feel emotionally and physically in response to what my food choices are. The closer to the sun and soil I am, the better I feel in general. And sometimes the connection with people is more important than what I eat. I like being hungry and appreciatively enjoying what is served. Jack Schwartz said something many years ago that still rings true for me. “It is not so much what I eat, as what eats me that determines my health.” The worry is worse than plant or animal or synthetic.

    I enjoy your dedication and curiosity.

    John

  12. Anonymous says:

    Message received through email:

    thanks Robyn,

    This is not the first time I have read your blog/emails. I find your well considered responses to Dr. Mercola and to other topics very balanced and without hyperbole. I’ve been consuming a quart of green smoothie almost daily for about a year now. I won’t go without it at this point. Many thanks for your voice out there on the internet. I’ve also heard you speak once in Orange County CA. I wish you continued success.

    I’ve heard Dr Mercola speak and while I too agree with him on a number of points, I find his marketing techniques, less educational and more fear driven. I have taken his ‘nutritional typing’ test recently and it left me with a lot more questions than answers. A couple of week before, a friend loaned me the metabolic typing diet book to read. It is very informative, but even the 65 question test in the book, is only a teaser to getting to the heart of a healthy diet for each individual.

    What is your thoughts about the concept of ‘fast vs. slow oxidizers’ mentioned in the book.

    Smile, Smile, Smile,

    Take a Load off for Awhile…..

    Jim/Jed

  13. Anonymous says:

    Message received through email:

    Hello Robyn,

    My name is Jesse and I have been a Raw Vegan for 4+ years. I have followed your newsletter for about a year and enjoy it very much.

    I just HAD to email you regarding your response to Mercola’s “discussion” of T. Colin Campbell and the The China Study.

    BRAVO ! You nailed it Robyn ! I agree with all of your very well thought out comments and the structure in which you presented it.

    Thank you for taking the time to share so eloquently what so many of us are thinking. I have also followed Mercola for several years, and have enjoyed many of his offerings and articles ………. but I must admit, I will be looking more with an eye of discernment, as it seems, especially over the last year or so his vision is being clouded.

    I too teach classes on Raw & Living Foods …. and am a supporter of encouraging folks towards a plant based diet …. and this morning, my inbox was FULL of comments from my students wondering what I thought …… Along with a few comments, I’ll be telling them that I agree with Robyn Openshaw !! Great Article Robyn !! Fantastic …..

    P.S. I am currently working with a Medical Doctor in Roswell, and we are opening in November an Integrated Medical Practice that will be unlike anything in the country. It will combine Traditional and Complimentary Medicine along with Lifestyle Classes and Training … including classes on how to transition to a plant based diet.

    Once we are open for business, and have all of our informational materials finished, I will send you our press kit, that you will be made aware of great resource in the Atlanta area.

    Thanks for all that you do …. Keep up the great work.

    Much Love,

    ~ Jesse

    1. Robyn Openshaw says:

      Sounds great Jesse–congrats, very exciting!

  14. Anonymous says:

    Message received through email:

    This was a wonderful response to Mercola’s comments on The China Study. It gave me a much deeper appreciation for the person behind “greensmoothiegirl!” Thanks and keep up the good work.

    Bill

  15. Anonymous says:

    #

    Green Smoothie Girl Admin said,

    September 13, 2010 @ 8:35 pm

    Message received through email:

    Robyn, This was most interesting, and in my opinion,Mercola is full of boloney. I am a vegetarian, 95% vegan, and thaaks to your green smoothies, I get my vegetables. I don’t like vegetaables, but the smoothies are good . I became a vegetarian because of my relligion (Seventh Day Adventist ) and learned basic nutrition by a very respected physician who spent his entire career researching the scientific benfits of a veggie diet, and teaching others good nutrition. YOur ideals are close to his ( very varieant, but by what I have learned your principles are sound. I am not raw, but my husband and I are weaning ourselves from processed food.. Keep up the good work you do. PS if i “listened” to what my body thoght it needed ,I would be on a chocolate only diet. Ha Ha. Mary

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