Joel Fuhrman - Eat To Live

70 Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

not see a hundredfold difference in cancer rates between one town

and another.

Fascinating findings were made in this study. The data showed

huge differences in disease rates based on the amount of plant foods

eaten and the availability of animal products. Researchers found that

as the amount of animal foods increased in the diet, even in rela-

tively small increments, so did the emergence of the cancers that are

common in the West. Most cancers occurred in direct proportion to

the quantity of animal foods consumed.

In other words, as animal food consumption approached zero,

cancer rates fell. Areas of the country with an extremely low con-

sumption of animal food were virtually free of heart attacks and can-

cer. An analysis of the mortality data from 65 counties and 130

villages showed a significant association with animal protein intake

(even at relatively low levels) and heart attacks, with a strong pro-

tective effect from the consumption of green vegetables.*

All animal products are low (or completely lacking) in the nutri-

ents that protect us against cancer and heart attacks — fiber, anti-

oxidants, phytochemicals, folate, vitamin E, and plant proteins. They

are rich in substances that scientific investigations have shown to be

associated with cancer and heart disease incidence: saturated fat, cho-

lesterol, and arachidonic acid.^4 Diets rich in animal protein are also

associated with high blood levels of the hormone IGF-1, which is a

known risk factor for several types of cancer.^5

The China Project showed a strong correlation between cancer

and the amount of animal protein, not just animal fat, consumed.^6

Consumption of lean meats and poultry still showed a strong correla-

tion with higher cancer incidence. These findings indicate that even

low-fat animal foods such as skinless white-meat chicken are impli-

cated in certain cancers.

Heart Health - It's Not Just Fat and Cholesterol

There was also a relationship between animal protein and heart dis-

ease. For example, plasma apolipoprotein B is positively associated

with animal-protein intake and inversely associated (lowered) with

vegetable-protein intake (e.g., legumes and greens). Apolipoprotein

B levels correlate strongly with coronary heart disease.^7 Unknown to

many is that animal proteins have a significant effect on raising cho-

lesterol levels as well, while plant protein lowers it.^8