The China Study

I personally know Colin and he is indeed a vegan and the picture of health. He runs 5 miles a day and he is one of the few stand-up people who helped me with my ordeal.

This is the foreword Colin wrote for my book which his testimony is in stating children would live 10-12 years longer on a vegan diet.

Certain ideas, in my mind, are sacred. One of these is honesty. Another is freedom of speech, at least here in the United States. And a third is the right to a good education, especially for young people.... Read More

I do not claim to know all the details surrounding Dave Warwak's dismissal from his school post in northern Illinois. But I do not need to know everything because these three sacred concepts were being maligned. When I initially heard of his case and after checking the story on the Internet and talking with him on the phone, I could not have cared less how complete my information was. Here was a tenured teacher informing children, through his art curriculum, of some ideas that they were entitled to think about. Being an educator for decades myself and being the father of five grown children and the grandfather of five teenage grandchildren, I know something about the importance of education.

I learned of nothing in these early conversations with Dave and in my Internet search that could possibly change my initial impressions. Whatever I did not know, I may never know, but I did know that I was witnessing the elements of an unacceptable injustice. It was not something that was merely curious.

I personally felt offended, not only for Dave but also for his students and, in a larger sense, for the American public who are too often entrapped in ignorance. How dare a school administrator and a school board take the extraordinary action—tantamount to a near-crime in my book—of dismissing a tenured teacher for sharing with his students his thoughts on the origins of violence and his related thoughts on the association of certain foods with poor health? Isn't a teacher's sharing of new ideas what education is all about? If I had any further reservations about the veracity of this story, they were largely dispelled by Dave's willingness, indeed courage, to openly challenge his dismissal. Any unmentioned baggage could be exposed in such a setting.

With this information in mind, I quickly caught a flight to Chicago's O'Hare airport then drove north for an hour to testify in his hearing before a hearing officer, the school superintendent and the attorneys for the school board. I was not disappointed. I was asked to give under oath my views on the truthfulness of the posters on dairy that were displayed in the school building and that touted the alleged health benefits of milk for children.

I have spent a half century doing experimental research with many students and other colleagues on diet and health, mostly at Cornell University, and along the way I spent about 20 years as a member or advisor to expert panels, helping to develop national food and health policy. More recently, I published with my son, Tom, a national best selling book, The China Study. Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health, which documents much of my career and the evidence that brought me to my present views.

I was asked my opinions on the reliability of the poster information which Dave had challenged and which drew the ire of the school authorities that led to his dismissal. As far as I could tell from these hearings, I agreed with Dave's assessments. Studies now show an impressive relationship of dairy consumption with prostate cancer, teenage acne, breast cancer, high blood cholesterol and its companion lesions that lead to heart disease, and a significant number of allergies, some of which are quite serious. In my own laboratory, we extensively studied in laboratory experiments the ability of cow's milk protein, when fed in excess of protein recommendations (almost all Americans consume protein in excess), to promote cancer growth.

I know that these findings, for many people, are difficult to comprehend and to accept but they are published in top-flight and peer-reviewed science journals. These findings also were initially difficult for me to accept as well, given my personal background of growing up on a dairy farm milking cows, then entering my research career with a bias in favor of promoting dairy. But along the way the evidence against the long-time health claims by the dairy industry became too overwhelming to ignore. Also, along the way, both in the laboratory and in the policy boardrooms, I came to learn the thoroughness with which the dairy industry has indoctrinated all of us, largely in school hallway posters like those that Dave Warwak had challenged.

In a way, I felt a certain sadness with this episode for I was seeing, once again, how otherwise good people have become so thoroughly indoctrinated for so long in the health virtues of milk, thus leading them to equate Dave's views as heresy, perhaps also believing that he was doing something really evil. Let there be no mistake, the scientific evidence now questioning the alleged health value of milk has become substantial and is worthy of public dissemination, especially to children.

Although I did not directly testify to Dave's interest in teaching, through art, his ideas on non-violence, I also believe that it is well past time that schoolchildren also be informed of this very important consideration as well. As I write this, I am still so disbelieving that this event ever occurred. When are we going to come to our senses?

I repeat: I do not know the full details of this unfortunate event in Dave's life. But I know enough for now. Dave Warwak on this basis of my background information and my witnessing the trial was teaching compassion and health, as he must. He also had the courage to be bold in expressing his opinions. His actions are not only a great lesson for young people, they also are the stuff that made this country great.
Dr. T. Colin Campbell PhD.
Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry, Cornell University

and this:
"Well, we now have excellent evidence, for example, as published in the literature to show that on average people do live in fact 10 to 12 years longer who are consuming, you know, a vegan-like diet. That means no dairy, by the way." Dr. T. Colin Campbell PhD.
http://veganschool101.blogspot.com/2009/09/illinois-state-board-of-education-is-on.html

and this:
Milk on Trial as Cornell Expert Testifies at Fired Teacher's Hearing
by Martha Rosenberg

The life expectancy of National Football League players might have as much to do with teaching art as the factory farming fired middle school teacher Dave Warwak is accused of teaching.

But it formed the backbone of Cornell University Professor Emeritus Dr. T. Colin Campbell's testimony at the Board of Education hearing into the middle school teacher's dismissal in Fox River Grove, IL, population 5,000, in April.

NFL players are only expected to live to 56 because "they are dying of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and diet related illnesses," testified Campbell in defense of Warwak's classroom charge that animal foods will shorten lives.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/24/9846

I could go on and on about Colin and how he has unselfishly helped me, children, and the animals.

Yes, he is vegan and a real modern day hero

DITTO DAVE!!

I just voted NO on this.

Voted No by absentee. It's incredible how we are often voting to change Ohio's constitution for various special interests - maybe that's a sign that the legislators are more difficult to sway than the voters?

Im on it! THX!

Thank you

I would go except that I have a guest at Penn on that they. come to Penn University!

wish i could come but alas I am half a world away :(

♥

if all were vegeterians, there would be no demand for meat... thus, we could enjoy better foods!

I was so dissappointed with the Larry King segment. It was bad enough to find out that Nancy Rodriguez " nutrition" expert was linked to the dairy, egg, and beef council but to also find that Dr.Campbell had not been informed of this pryor to starting the show was down right deceptive. The point in the show that really got to me was when Dr. ... Read MoreCampbell mentioned the truly amazing work that Dr. Essylstyn had done on reversing heart disease and Larry King did not bat an eye of surprise or curiosity. Larry just continued on with the next question.

Reading "Dr" Rodriguez's page makes me want to puke, what a fuckin shill.

Oh! I should find a TV. Hmm.

Land...sea...on the moon IDE love to be in the company of you all

could possibly be the most powerful influence on health and vitality since the invention of refrigeration.

I agree Mead

Yes, Dr. Campbell will be in Houston for a Town Hall meeting organized by Dr. Baxter Montgomery on October 17th.

How about wisconsin or minnesota? Incidentally the word must be getting out. I no longer can get cheap hardcover copies of this book on amazon. They jumped to over 20$ Love it!!!!

Hey! There is a China Study book club going on right now on FB at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=78531587604&ref=mf - check it out!

In my experience, evidence seems to work most effectively in "convincing" people...so I say live true to yourself and be the example for those in your life. Soon enough they'll want some of what you've got going on and ask you what is making the difference for you. And that is the critical moment -- because what you say really does matter. So ... Read Morethink about your audience and what they might need to know (and how they need to hear it) in order to begin the process of moving toward learning more. I speak to the years of research and drop the name of the book as being one of the most important books ever. I also let them know that my choice is about being healthy more than a political or religious choice (and therefore "safer" -- not considered nearly as extreme or radical in the mainstream culture). Just sayin'... :-)