Book Review – The China Study

The China StudyIf you ever have suffered from chronic illness, or been close to someone who has, then you might find The China Study very interesting. This is not for the faint hearted or “ignorance is bliss” crowd, this book challenges conventional thinking based on fact and poses a lot of tough questions about the fabric of modern society we accept as the way of life. However, if you’ve ever questioned the effectiveness of modern medicine, been frustrated with the lack of a holistic approach from doctors, or wondered about the effects of “plastic” foods we so conveniently consume then you can’t pass up this read.

Written by father and son Colin and Thomas Campbell, this book takes a look at some of the most devastating chronic illnesses which affect the western world such as heart disease, diabetes, cancers, obesity and autoimmune diseases. Specifically, it takes a close look at the relationship between nutrition and disease by drawing conclusions from some of the most well known and largest population studies (including the “China Study” which looks at the differences between diet and disease between eastern and western populations). The approach is from a medical research perspective, it does get deep but all the concepts are explained step by step such that I was able to follow along fine not having a medical background. The book was heavy, but I found the conclusions of the studies so fascinating and unlike anything I’ve heard in the mainstream it was easy to read on.

The author also provides some amazing insights into how the food industry operates at the government level in relation to nutritional recommendations, some of the stories here are truly eye opening.

I’ll admit I’m not typically one for reading non-fiction, in fact I find life pretty busy and reading through a book has been a rare occurrence over the last few years. After my wife was watching some documentaries on organic food, I heard reference to this book a number of times and thought I’d check it out. After reading the sample from Kindle I kept reading. It has literally changed the way I think about food.

Concepts in this book have real value in making tangible differences to the impact of chronic disease in our world, but they challenge conventional medical thinking and they challenge the billion dollar food industry so you’ll never hear about this on the 6 o’clock news. I’m writing this because reading this book has been like being told a secret, and it’s a secret I want to share. You might read this and be challenged to change like I have, or you might read this and throw away the ideas and go back to your life, either way you will have a new appreciation for the importance of nutrition and quiet possibly never think about chronic diseases in the same way again.

Do you think you would read be interested in reading this book? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.