Animal Protein, Cancer, and the Optimal Diet page

[vkh]

Hi everyone,


Let me start by saying that I am new to this forum, but find the advice given in The Primal Blueprint fascinating. It makes so much sense that the optimal diet (and lifestyle) for us should be close to the one that we evolved on.


However, I recently heard about research done by a Cornell professor by the name of T. Colin Campbell that gives convincing evidence that animal protein in excess of very minimal amounts is highly carcinogenic. Now I'm confused: maybe we shouldn't be eating animals?


Here is a video where he explains the research that he has done over the past 40+ years and why he has come to his conclusions. It's an hour long, but worth the watch.


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1308977765978236346


I would really appreciate feedback on what you guys think.


Sincerely,

vkh

[goodfriendsam]

I just researched the china study. It was a wonderful study, but it's my view that Campbell's failure was that he never made distinctions of quality. Americans eat more meat, but we are eating industrial garbage meat. We eat less carbs, but we are eating non whole grain carbs.


Also, the china study only focused on one ethnic group. The work of weston a price and others clearly shows that humans are able to thrive on a variety of diets. Therefore I can't trust any one size fits all diets.


I just wrote a report on this, I threw it on my blog if you want to check it out.

http://newfoodview.wordpress.com/200...e-china-study/

[Tarlach]

[quote]

maybe we shouldn't be eating animals?
</blockquote>


What do you think we have been eating for the last few million years?


I think it was Taubes who proposes that we actually get cancerous cells all the time. If we are in good shape and eating correctly, the body fights the cells off.


All meat diets certainly work well for a lot of hunter gatherers and they don&#39;t get cancer!

[vkh]

Sam,


Thanks for your reply! I just read your report:


I agree that when you analyze populations&#39; diets you are encompassing a variety of variables, not just the one you are trying to test. Is it the animal protein that is causing cancer, or the quality of the animal protein, or maybe that the protein is denatured (via cooking), or the presence of toxic chemicals, etc, etc. But in the video I linked Campbell also mentions controlled laboratory studies, like where he feeds rats milk protein in different amounts, and observes a correlation between milk protein and cancer. The point is that it&#39;s not just the china study that offers evidence to the relationship between animal protein and cancer.

[vkh]

Tarlach,


First of all, let&#39;s clear up a little confusion. Campbell&#39;s research does not say that animal protein causes cancer. It says that EXCESS animal protein causes cancer. In the rat study, when the rats&#39; diet consisted of only 5% animal protein, the link between the animal protein and cancer wasn&#39;t there. It&#39;s not clear how much meat our hunter-gathering ancestors actually ate. Maybe the bulk of their diet was fruits and veggies, just like our closest living relatives, the Common and Bonobo Chimpanzees (they eat mostly fruit, and rarely hunt game. In fact the Bonobo never hunts.) Maybe in the U.S., we just go way overboard with the amount of meat we eat?


But I agree with your sentiment. This is why I am actually troubled, and why I posted. It makes SENSE to eat meat if we assume that we evolved as HUNTER-gatherers. But if it turns out that animal protein is the single most carcinogenic substance that we can put into our bodies, then I may have to rethink my love of meat. Like everybody else I just want to know the truth of what I should be putting into my body.

[grandma]

I agree with him about the development of policy and the importance of nutrition information for the public.


I didn&#39;t not follow his leap from Milk protein finding to condemning all animal protein.


Regarding the china study, he seemed to say that the lack of plant foods was a problem and that animal fat was not a problem and PUFA rich oils were. He does not seem to mention carbs at all.


So I conclude for myself, I am doing the right thing. Eat an omnivore diet. Eat a lot of different stuff and eat good fats and don&#39;t sweat the amount of protein I get.

[OnTheBayou]

granny, you may recall I did a thread recently asking how much protein we really need. A lot of enlightening responses, and I&#39;ve continued my internet research on the topic. The answer is:


Nobody knows for sure. Not even factoring in the variable of rebuilding lean body mass from its normal sluffing of cells, or body building or other hard work, everyone has an opinion w/o much science.


I even went to vegetarian/vegan sites to see what they say. Sort of the same as the carnivore/omnivore sites.


Without becoming psychotic about it, it seems .5 gram per pound of Ideal Body Weight is a working minimum. "More", whatever that is, for athletes. Count all types of amino acids in that total.


As good a hunch as anything, I guess. Right back where I started from, in a sense.

[goodfriendsam]

vkh - the milk protein is casein right? this is a particularly difficult to digest protein and seems to be the crux of why some people don&#39;t like campbell&#39;s points. i dont know anything about it though.

[Catalina]

Has anyone researched the connection amongst animal protein + acid/alkaline imbalance + cancer? I&#39;m very vague on it, but it seems I&#39;ve read somewhere that meat is acidic and that cancer cannot grow in an alkaline environment--thus meaning that meat consumption should be accompanied by lots of good fruits and veggies. Anyone know more about it, or have I been slapped with junk science again? Did any of these studies look at what these folks were eating along with the protein?

[Katt]

But where does this leave the healthy Inuit on their traditional diet of mostly all animal protien and fat? The cancer rate among such people is almost nonexistent.