It was a great privilege to welcome back, T. Colin Campbell, PhD, researcher professor emeritus in biochemical nutrition at Cornell University.

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD

On today’s show Dr. Campbell discussed the protein controversy and I greatly encourage you to listen to the entire interview by clicking below. We also discussed how to identify accurate nutrition information with all the conflicting nutrition reports that we see in the media: one days eggs are good for you and the next, they are not.

Dr. Campbell advises to be on the lookout for ‘reductionist’ studies that may not look at the complete nutrition picture. In a reductionist type of study, scientists study one nutrient, say Vitamin C, and see how varying levels of Vitamin C affect a certain disease or condition. We are all used to seeing this type of study in our favorite magazines: how Vitamin D does this and Vitamin E is great for that. Dr. Campbell says that this type of study does not take into account the true complexity of nutrition.

For example, a study might show that Vitamin C, all by itself, has no significant affect on a particular disease or maybe in very, very high quantities it shows a great affect on disease. But Dr. Campbell, argues that what we need to look at is the whole food. When we eat an orange we are getting the Vitamin C but we are also getting another 40 or so nutrients that make the Vitamin C as effective as it is for restoring health and fighting disease. And in a supplement? Well, there is no support for the Vitamin C to create health and to destroy carcinogens; it’s flying solo.

Long story short, Dr. Campbell recommends that when we read nutrition studies that we consider if the study was done on a whole food or supplement. Food is infinitely complex in its ability to fight disease and to restore health. Singularly reduced supplements? Not so much.

To listen to the entire interview go here>>