150 THE CHINA STUDYshould also be noted that the meat-eating Adventists are not the meati-
est of eaters. They consume about three servings of beef a week, and less
than one serving a week of fish and poultry.8 I know plenty of people
who consume this amount of meat (including fish and poultry) every
two days.
In dietary studies involving the Adventists, scientists compare "mod-
erate" vegetarians to "moderate" meat eaters. This is not a big differ-
ence. Even so, the Adventist vegetarians are much healthier than their meat
eating counterparts.^8 Those Adventists that "deprived" themselves of meat
also "deprived" themselves of the ravages of diabetes. Compared to the meat
eaters, the vegetarians had about one-half the rate of diabetes. 8,9 They also
had almost half the rate of obesity.8
In another study, scientists measured diets and diabetes in a popula-
tion of japanese American men in Washington State.1O These men were
the sons ofjapanese immigrants to the u.s. Remarkably, they had more
than four times the prevalence of diabetes than the average rate found in
similar-aged men who stayed in japan. So what happened?
For japanese Americans, the ones who developed diabetes also ate
the most animal protein, animal fat and dietary cholesterol, each of
which is only found in animal-based foods.1O Total fat intake also was
higher among the diabetics. These same dietary characteristics also re-
sulted in excess weight. These second-generation japanese Americans
ate a meatier diet with less plant-based food than men born in japan.
The researchers wrote, "Apparently, the eating habits of japanese men
living in the United States resemble more the American eating style
than the japanese." The consequence: four times as much incidence of
diabetes, 10
Some other studies:
- Researchers found that increased fat intake was associated with an
increased rate of Type 2 diabetes among 1,300 people in the San
Luis valley in Colorado, They said, "The findings support the hy-
pothesis that high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets are associated with
the onset of non-insulin-dependent [Type 2] diabetes mellitus in
humans." 11 - In the past twenty-five years, the rate at which children in japan
contract Type 2 diabetes has more than tripled, Researchers note
that consumption of animal protein and animal fat has drastically
increased in the past fifty years. Researchers say that this dietary