The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health

by T. Colin Campbell

It is time to sacrifice our sacred cows. Reason must prevail. Professional societies, doctors and government agencies need to stand up and do their duty, so that children being born today do not face tragedies that otherwise could be prevented.

As I have watched the interest in nutrient supplements explode over the past twenty to thirty years, it has become abundantly clear why such a huge nutrient supplement industry has emerged. Huge profits are an excellent incentive, and new government regulations have paved the way for an expanded market. Furthermore, consumers want to continue eating their customary foods, and popping a few supplements makes people feel better about the potentially adverse health effects caused by their diet. Embracing supplements means the media can tell people what they want to hear and doctors have something to offer their patients. As a result, a multibillion-dollar supplement industry is now part of our nutritional landscape, and the majority of consumers have been duped into believing that they are buying health.

The fruit industry plays this game just like everyone else. For example, when you think of vitamin C, what food product comes to mind? If you don’t think of oranges and orange juice, you are unusual. Most of us have heard ad nauseum that oranges are a good source of vitamin C. This belief, however, is just another result of good marketing.