CHINA DIET STUDY
DAVID E. CUNDIFF, Ph.D.
PROFESSOR AND HEAD
DEPARTMENT OF EXERCISE SCIENCE,
HEALTH AND LEISURE STUDIES
CHINA DIET STUDY
Living Laboratory for Dietary Patterns
1. Stable population , good tracking
2. Similar genetic pool
3. Regional dietary differences
4. Often 100-fold differences in death
rates in certain diseases
5. Good death stats on 1 billion Chinese
CHINA DIET STUDY
Collaborative Effort
Cornell University-Dr. T. Colin
Campbell
Chinese Academy of Preventive
Medicine & Medical Services-Chen
Junshi, MD
Oxford University-Dr. Richard Peto
CHINA DIET STUDY
Largest and most comprehensive study
undertaken looking at diet and disease
relationships
6,500 adults in 65 different counties in
China – selected about 137 different
villages in different locations from Gobi
Desert to Beijing, Shanghai & Hong Kong
CHINA DIET STUDY
Researchers followed these people for
several days
Looking for different diet and disease
patterns, lifestyles, and relationships
Recorded everything they ate to obtain a
clear profile of their dietary composition
CHINA DIET STUDY
What have they found?
Diseases of Poverty
Diseases of affluence
CHINA DIET STUDY
Diseases of Poverty- pneumonia,
TB, infectious diseases, parasitic
diseases like hook worms,
enclampsia
Causes – usually related to poor
sanitation, nutritional deficiencies
& poor food quality – no refrig.
CHINA DIET STUDY
Diseases of Affluence – heart disease,
stroke, most cancers, diabetes,
osteoprosis, kidney disease, gall stones,
diverticulosis, liver cirrhosis
Causes – Rich diets (high in animal
products) and engineered food (high is
sugar, fat and salt, and low in fiber),
sedentary living, smoking, alcohol and
stress
CHINA DIET STUDY
Same country, same genetic
pool – diseases of poverty and
affluence!!
CHINA DIET STUDY
Diseases of Affluence are not
inevitable. A society that can
afford sanitation, refrigeration
and abundant food may yet
conquer these diseases of
affluence by simplifying its diet
and eating more foods „as grown‟.
CHINA DIET STUDY
What dietary and blood factors
contribute to diseases of Affluence?
Blood cholesterol & Urea Nitrogen
powerfully relates to Heart Disease,
Cancer, & Diabetes
Small intakes of animal products were
powerfully related to marked
increases in these diseases
CHINA DIET STUDY
Comparing Mortality Rates
Coronary Artery Disease
China 1 United States 16
Breast Cancer
China 1 United States 5
CHINA DIET STUDY
Cholesterol Comparisons
China 117 (88-161)
USA 212 (157-274)
“China‟s high cholesterol is the
United States low”!!
CHINA DIET STUDY
Blood Lipids
China USA
Total Cholesterol 117 212
LDL 69 149
HDL 32 39
Triglycerides 80 122
CHINA DIET STUDY
Animal protein raises blood
cholesterol more than
saturated fat
Lean meats may be as
damaging to cholesterol
levels as fatty meats
CHINA DIET STUDY
Animal protein raises blood
cholesterol more than
saturated fat
Lean meats may be as
damaging to cholesterol
levels as fatty meats
CHINA DIET STUDY
Blood Lipids
Those Chinese at the upper
end of the Chinese range had
markedly more cancer and
heart disease than those at
the lower end!!
CHINA DIET STUDY
“The Chinese experience shows
that most Western coronary
heart disease is unnecessary.
It is self made, self induced,
and culturally promoted.”
Dr. Richard Petro, Oxford
University
CHINA DIET STUDY
PMS and Hot Flashes
Hot Flashes are not as commonly found in
Chinese women as they are in American
women. This may be related to the fact the
estrogen levels in American women are much
higher before they go into menopause and then
there is a big drop in levels – could explain
severity in US women.
Rural Chinese women experience far fewer
symptoms than most affluent city dwellers in
China.
CHINA DIET STUDY
Risk Factors for Breast Cancer
High fat diet
High blood cholesterol
High blood estrogen & testosterone
Age of menarche and menopause
CHINA DIET STUDY
Osteoporosis Dairy
USA Common Common
China Rare Rare
“Ironically countries with the highest rates
of osteoporosis consume the most
calcium, mostly from protein-rich dairy
products”. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.
CHINA DIET STUDY
While osteoporosis is very, very rare in
China there are some areas where
osteoporosis is present. This is the result
of the population groups that have
adopted a Western diet.
Iron deficiency is difficult to find in China
even though Chinese eat very little meat.
USA has idea that if you do not eat meat
iron deficiency will probably occur.
CHINA DIET STUDY
Chinese Diet verses USA USA Diet
China USA
Protein 64 grams 100 grams
Animal 10% 71%
Sugar USA - three times higher
Starch China – four times higher
Fat USA three times higher
Calories China higher but are leaner
CHINA DIET STUDY
Chinese Diet verses USA USA Diet
China USA
Fiber China higher
Calcium 500-600 g 800-1200 g
Little osteoporosis in China
Iron China two times USA
Vitamin C China 30-50% higher
CHINA DIET STUDY
Dr. Campbell “USA is consuming far too much in
terms of animal foods. We should be eating
more plant protein. Animal products are higher
in fat and cholesterol.They are a poor source of
fiber and anti-oxidents and high protein content
has been clearly linked to many Western killer
diseases. A plant-based diet is more likely to
produce good health and reduce sharply the risk
of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis,
gall stones and kidney disease”.
CHINA DIET STUDY
Dr. Campbell‟s dietary prescription:
1. Change the diet so that 80-90% of proteins
comes from grains, legumes, vegetables.
2. Build meals around grains, potatoes, beans,
vegetables and fruits. Use meat only for flavor
and not for focus.
3. Cut the currently recommended 30% fat level
of the American diet to a safer 10-20% fat of
total calories.