The China Study by Thomas Campbell

48 TH E CH I NA STU DY

hindsight, we must have succeeded. The NIH funding for this study con-

tinued for the next nineteen years and led to additional funding from

other research agencies (American Cancer Society, the American Institute

for Cancer Research and the Cancer Research Foundation of America).

On these experimental animal findings alone, this project gave rise to

more than 100 scientific papers published in some of the best journals,

many public presentations and several invitations to participate on expert

panels.

ANIMAL RIGHTS

The rest of this chapter concerns experimental animal research, all

of which included rodents (rats and mice). I know well that many

oppose the use of experimental animals in research. I respect this

concern. I respectfully suggest, however, that you consider this:

very likely, I would not be advocating a plant-based diet today if

it were not for these animal experiments. The findings and the

principles derived from these animal studies greatly contributed

to my interpretations of my later work, including the China Study,

as you will come to see.

One obvious question regarding this issue is whether there

was an alternative way to get the same information without us-

ing experimental animals. To date, I have found none, even after

seeking advice from my "animal rights" colleagues. These experi-

mental animal studies elaborated some very important principles

of cancer causation not obtainable in human-based studies. These

principles now have enormous potential to benefit all of our fel-

low creatures, our environment and ourselves.

THREE STAGES OF CANCER

Cancer proceeds through three stages: initiation, promotion and progres-
sion. To use a rough analogy, the cancer process is similar to planting a
lawn. Initiation is when you put the seeds in the soil, promotion is when
the grass starts to grow and progression is when the grass gets completely
out of control, invading the driveway, the shrubbery and the sidewalk.
So what is the process that successfully "implants" the grass seed in
the soil in the first place, i.e., initiates cancer-prone cells? Chemicals
that do this are called carcinogens. These chemicals are most often