- By Dan Veaner
- Around Town
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Dr. Campbell grew up on a dairy farm, so it was natural that his early research would be on how to promote better health by eating more milk, meat and eggs. Later he studied the reason Filipino children were developing liver cancer. He discovered that those whose diets were highest in protein were most likely to get it. This let to studies of which proteins were harmful. "Animal based protein in the form of casein turns out to be one of the most relevant carcinogens that we consume," says Dr. Campbell.
Thomas and Colin CampbellBeginning around 1980 Dr. Campbell led a 20 year study of diet and lifestyle factors and how they affect health in China. "It was a massive study," he says. "I was the director of it and I got colleagues at the University of Oxford and also Chinese government academies to join me. So we all played roles as respective principal investigators." The study led to the publication of a book for scientists containing data from the 23 of China's 26 provinces. The findings were controversial. The results showed that eating animal based diets result in more illness, while people who ate primarily plant-based diets were the healthiest and least likely to develop chronic disease.
Dr. Campbell is passionate about sharing his findings with the public. "I mean, the American taxpayer paid for this research. So I feel a sense of responsibility to tell them what their money bought, he explains. He says that government recommendations are influenced by special interests to skew the science in order to create a better market for their products. "It is heavily politicized. It's been that way for a long time but it's far worse in the last 10 or 20 years than it has ever been before. It's really serious now," he charges.
"You may have heard of the food pyramid. It is devised by a committee of the US Department of Agriculture, and they say some strange things that just don't fit the data. For example in their last report they were saying you should increase milk consumption from two glasses a day to three glasses a day. It's particularly focussed on children. It's a disaster."
When the retired Cornell professor decided to write a book to explain his findings to the general public he enlisted the help of his son, Thomas. "He's a really bright guy," Dr. Campbell says. "I was primarily interested in having him as a writer. Taking my scientific language and making sure it was readable."
Dr. Campbell is clearly proud of his coauthor, who was an actor in Chicago. "He was doing quite well, but hadn't yet gotten to the point where he could make enough money and make it a career. So he decided to come back home and write the book with me. He worked with me for about three years. Though he didn't have any science at Cornell he caught onto it pretty quickly. And now he's going to medical school."
The book is divided into four parts. Parts one and two describe the China study and talk about the diseases that can be prevented simply by controlling diet. The third section is called "The Good Nutrition Guide," offering advice on how to eat healthily. The last part talks about the politicization of diet issues and policy, and why the public isn't hearing about this research.
The Campbell family practices what he preaches, eating an entirely plant-based diet. "We have five grown children and they all do the same thing. And we have five grandchildren and they're all being raised the same way. Our whole family is not exactly 100%. One of our sons likes to sneak a little cheese now and then. I have two brothers and a sister. My two brothers are the same way. One is a lawyer and a physical chemist. The other is basically the same way. My sister is not quite there, but is trying hard to be there."
Living with his wife Karen in an updated log home in North Lansing overlooking lake Cayuga, his travel and lecture schedule has exploded since the book was published last year. The book has created a stir, because it challenges accepted thought about what makes a healthy diet. "I'm excited about this information, and I like to share it," says Dr. Campbell. But he is working harder now than before he retired.
That is because he is angry about the way he says the government sets dietary policy. "I am impassioned about the policy question, because I see what goes on in Washington, and it's dishonest. There is a serious lack of integrity."
"The bright side of it is that there is a fantastic story here that doesn't surface. This story's been around for a long time and it really hasn't surfaced. So you have to ask yourself why. The story is that if nutrition is practiced the right way it has an amazing power to maintain health, prevent disease and cure disease. And I'm not talking about supplements. I'm talking about whole foods. And when those whole foods are used in the appropriate way and combined with an appropriate amount of exercise and other lifestyle practices, the ability to maintain health and prevent disease is amazing. It's truly amazing."
Spreading that story is his mission, and he doesn't have much time to enjoy his lake view. His travel schedule for this month alone takes him all over the United States, from coast to coast. On October 18 he has a news conference scheduled in the Rayburn Office Building on Capital Hill. As his book grows in popularity more people want to learn about his research and recommendations for a healthy diet. "A lot of groups in the country have taken to this story in an unimaginable way." And Dr. Campbell is off again to tell them about it.
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