The Problem with Science

Most research investigations of the relationship between diet and disease attempt to narrow the cause/effect model in order to focus on one particular aspect. For example, researchers may wish to examine the effects of fish consumption on a certain blood test marker, and compare this with another group which does not consume fish.  The researchers will then typically attempt to "control out" all variables except, in this example, the consumption of fish, hoping to reach conclusions of how that one aspect of diet is related to disease.

The idea is that through such studies, scientists can produce small, significant details which can then supposedly be pieced together to "add up" and provide a comprehensive view of health's "big picture."

Unfortunately, all too often information gleaned through such narrow, one-dimensional studies tends to actually misrepresent or avoid the most important aspects of the big picture.

The China Study is Different

Science must ultimately go beyond these more traditional, myopic, and misleading methods, and seek to characterize the many significant relationships between diet and disease in the most comprehensive manner possible.

Defining new ways to do just this was one of the primary objectives of the China Study. It looked at 16,700 individuals over a six-year period, examining over 1,000 separate diet, lifestyle and environmental aspects relating to each of those people.

By collecting as much information as obtainable, it is possible to investigate the crucial big picture of health, as well as to discover the countless -- but also frequently important -- details. Together, this information provides the most comprehensive, accurate total picture of the relationship between diet, lifestyle, and health.