The China Study by Thomas Campbell

TURNING OFF CANCER^57

These experiments also demonstrated that the body could "remem-
ber" early carcinogen insults,35, 36 even though they might then lie
dormant with low protein intake. That is , exposure to aflatoxin left a
genetic "imprint" that remained dormant with 5% dietary protein until
nine weeks later when this imprint reawakened to form foci with 20%
dietary protein. In simple terms, the body holds a grudge. It suggests
that if we are exposed in the past to a carcinogen that initiates a bit of
cancer that remains dormant, this cancer can still be "reawakened" by
bad nutrition some time later.
These studies showed that cancer development is modified by relative-
ly modest changes in protein consumption. But how much protein is too
much or too little? Using rats, we investigated a range of 4-24% dietary
protein (Chart 3.6^37 ). Foci did not develop with up to about 10% dietary
protein. Beyond 10%, foci development increased dramatically with in-
creases in dietary protein. The results were later repeated a second time in
my laboratory by a visiting professor from Japan, Fumiyiki Horio.^38

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CHART 3.6: FOCI PROMOTION BY DIETARY PROTEIN

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

Adequate Protein

for Body Growth

4 6 8 10 12 14 20

% Dietary Protein