2025.04.03

China Study: The Buried "Second McGovern Report"

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Unfortunately, modern Japan is in a situation where it is called a "cancer powerhouse". According to an announcement by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, one in two Japan will suffer from cancer in their lifetime, which is a very high number even among developed countries. Cancer was once feared as an "incurable disease," but although advances in medical technology have made it possible to detect and treat cancer at an early stage, it still accounts for the leading cause of death in Japan. This figure of 1 in 2 people clearly shows that cancer is no longer someone else's problem, but a disease that is deeply involved in the lives of each of us.

Why is the number of cancer patients increasing so much in Japan? The causes are thought to be wide-ranging, including genetic factors, lifestyle habits, and environmental pollution, but in recent years, it has been strongly pointed out that it is related to dietary habits. In particular, studies showing that excessive consumption of animal protein may promote cancer growth have attracted a lot of attention.

Article Contents

Japan is a cancer powerhouse and a wake-up call for eating habits

Japan is a cancer powerhouse and a wake-up call for eating habits

In this article, we will focus on the relationship between cancer and diet, and explain in detail the effects of animal protein on cancer and the health benefits of a plant-based diet, based on multiple research cases.

1. Animal proteins that control cancer: Dr. Campbell's mouse experiment

When talking about the relationship between cancer and diet, it is inevitable that Dr. Colin Campbell of Cornell University will do it. Dr. Campbell has been studying the relationship between nutrition and cancer for many years. One of the most noteworthy aspects of this research is experiments using mice.

Dr. Campbell had a keen interest in a study conducted in India. It suggested that the intake of casein, an animal protein, may affect the growth of cancer cells. Therefore, Dr. Campbell conducted his own experiments with mice to verify his research.

The experiment was simple: half of the mice were fed a diet containing 20% casein, and the other half were fed a diet containing 5% casein. After 12 weeks, the results were astonishing. In mice that ingested 20% casein, early cancer cells proliferated rapidly, whereas in mice that ingested 5% casein, there were no signs of cancer at all.

Shocked by this result, Dr. Campbell conducted an experiment that went further. This time, the experiment is to have mice alternate between 5% and 20% casein intake every three weeks. Then, it turned out that cancer cells proliferated when 20% of casein was ingested, and cancer cells decreased when 5% was ingested, as if it were a switch.

From these results, Dr. Campbell concluded that simply adjusting the intake of animal protein may be enough to control the growth of cancer cells. He warned, "This should be true not only for animal experiments, but also for normal diets, where experiments use high concentrations of carcinogens, but excessive intake of animal protein even in normal diets can promote cancer."

In addition, Dr. Campbell says, "Even if you eat a vegetarian diet, you will not be deficient in protein, and even potatoes and rice, which are low in protein, can supplement the protein you need." He argued that the interaction of genes, chemicals, and nutrients is a factor that promotes cancer, and that even if there are genetically predisposed families or chemical mutations that predispose them to cancer, whether or not they actually develop cancer depends on whether they can control cancer cells. He pointed out that animal proteins are likely to play a role in promoting the growth of these cancer cells.

Dr. Campbell's research supports the view that cases of developing cancer due to genetic factors alone are very rare. "The general consensus in the field of biochemistry is that less than 2% of inherited cancers occur," he said. Dr. Campbell then scaled up his research and tested it with a variety of animals and nutrients, and the results were consistent: animal foods promoted cancer and plant foods suppressed cancer.

2. The largest cancer survey in history by President Zhou of China, regional differences in diet and cancer

In parallel with Dr. Campbell's research, there was another important event. It is the largest cancer investigation in history, conducted by Chinese President Zhou Enlai in the wake of his own bladder cancer.

In 1974, President Zhou was hospitalized with terminal bladder cancer. To remedy this situation, President Zhou ordered a nationwide investigation to gather information about cancer. The study mobilized 650,000 researchers to investigate cancer mortality rates across China over a two-year period. The target population was more than 880 million. This large-scale study continued even after President Zhou's death, and became very important data in clarifying the relationship between cancer and diet.

The study revealed that cancer mortality rates vary greatly from region to region. In particular, in the case of esophageal cancer, there were areas where the difference in mortality was as much as 400 times. Considering that in the United States, regional differences in cancer mortality rates are twice as high at best, this difference is staggering.

This result was noticed by Dr. Zhang of the Chinese Center. Dr. Zhang was a member of the Chinese Society of Food and Nutrition at the time and was one of the first senior research fellows to travel to the United States toward the end of the Cold War. He met Dr. Campbell at Cornell University and began collaborating with him.

Dr. Chang looked at President Zhou's cancer death map and wondered, "Why is the incidence of cancer so different in different regions, even though they are the same Chinese and should be genetically similar?" He believed that the factors were the environment, especially the diet, and called on Dr. Campbell to conduct a joint investigation.

3. Dr. Campbell and Dr. Chang's Joint Investigation and Birth of the China Study

For Dr. Campbell, collaborating with Dr. Chang was a great opportunity to validate his findings at scale. This is because the results of liver cancer surveys in children in the Philippines and mouse experiments can be compared with data from all over China.

Thus began the joint research between Dr. Campbell and Dr. Chang, commonly known as the "China Study." The study examined the eating habits of more than 6,500 people across 65 regions using 367 diets and health-related variables. The reason why we chose rural areas as the target of our research is that rural people have settled down and have been eating the same way for 20 to 30 years. During the study, urine and blood samples were also taken and a detailed analysis was performed.

The analysis of the data, which began in 1983, spanned several years, and the results were astonishing. Over the course of 10 years, Dr. Campbell and his colleagues analyzed a huge amount of data and compiled it into a book called "The China Study." There, in more than 9400 cases, the link between diet and disease was proven.

4. What we learned from the China Study: The close relationship between vegetarian diet and health

The conclusions drawn by the China Study were quite simple. That is, "a diet that mainly consumes grains, vegetables and fruits has been linked to reduced mortality from several types of cancer, stroke and coronary artery disease." In other words, large-scale data has proven that a plant-based diet is very important for maintaining good health.

The New York Times called the study "the largest study in history to reveal the relationship between diet and disease progression." Dr. Campbell was able to see the coincidence of his findings with the large scale of data and gain a scientific basis. Finally, it was clearly clarified that vegetarian foods are good for the body and animal products are bad for the body.

The China Study reveals that dietary habits are deeply involved in many lifestyle-related diseases, including cancer, and strongly urges us to review our eating habits. Avoiding excessive intake of animal products and switching to a plant-based diet is a very important choice in preventing cancer and living a healthy life.

Summary ~ Improving eating habits is the key to overcoming cancer

In this article, we have focused on the relationship between cancer and dietary habits, and have explained in detail the possibility that excessive intake of animal protein promotes cancer, and the health benefits of a plant-based diet, based on Dr. Campbell's mouse experiments and research cases such as the China Study. The results of these studies suggest that dietary habits may be deeply involved in the development of cancer, and strongly appeal to us to review our eating habits.

Of course, cancer is not a disease that develops from a single cause. Genetic and environmental factors are also involved, and not all cancers can be prevented simply by improving your diet. However, avoiding excessive consumption of animal products and actively consuming plant foods can be a very important choice in preventing cancer and maintaining good health.

We are at a major turning point. Now that cancer has become a national disease, it is necessary to deeply understand its causes and take action to protect one's own health through the improvement of dietary habits. We hope that this article will help you reconsider your eating habits and take a step toward living a healthier and richer life.

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