The China Study by Thomas Campbell

LESSONS FROM CHINA 83

CHART 4.6: FAT CONTENT OF SAMPLE FOODS

Food Percent derived of from calories fat

Butter 100%

McDonald's Double Cheeseburger 67%

Whole Cow's Milk 64%

Hom 61%

Hotdog 54%

Soybeans 42%

"Low-Fat" (or 2%) Milk 35%

Chicken 26%

Spinach 14%

Wheaties Breakfast Cereal 8%

Skim Milk 5%

Peas 5%

Carrots 4%

Green Beans 3.5%

Whole Baked Potatoes 1%

With a few exceptions, animal-based foods contain considerably
more fat than plant-based foods.^24 This is well illustrated by compar-
ing the amount of fat in the diets of different countries. The correlation
between fat intake and animal protein intake is more than 90%.25 This
means that fat intake increases in parallel with animal protein intake. In
other words, dietary fat is an indicator of how much animal-based food
is in the diet. It is almost a perfect match.

FAT AND A FOCUS ON CANCER

The 1982 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on Diet, Nutri-
tion and Cancer, of which I was a co-author, was the first expert panel
report that deliberated on the association of dietary fat with cancer.
This report was the first to recommend a maximum fat intake of 30%
of calories for cancer prevention. Previously, the U.s. Senate Select
Committee on Nutrition chaired by Senator George McGovern^26 held
widely publicized hearings on diet and heart disease and recommended
a maximum intake of 30% dietary fat. Although the McGovern report