Comments for The Home of BSP Training & Nutrition

Comment on The China Study Fallacy by Omri

Omri — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:37:11 +0000

every time you eat a steak, Jesus cries…

Comment on The China Study Fallacy by Stuff You Should Read: 3/17/10

Stuff You Should Read: 3/17/10 — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:22:46 +0000

[...] The China Study Fallacy – This is a great piece from Brian St. Pierre on how flawed the perspectives of many “experts” is when it comes to interpreting the results of the China Study. It’s an awesome read. [...]

Comment on The China Study Fallacy by Barry Bowden

Barry Bowden — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:31:27 +0000

I have conflicting feelings on this blog entry. I don’t disagree with a single point espoused yet you haven’t read The China Study. Might your opinion change when you do?

Comment on The China Study Fallacy by danny

danny — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:58:18 +0000

hey i have a problem regarding what you said which i quote here and i am curoius what your response is;

“Using the word association again means very little. Correlation does not equal causation. There could be a million other variables in play here. These rural Chinese also most likely eat less sugar, less refined flour, less trans-fats, less McDonald’s, are more active, get more sleep, get more sunshine, have stronger community relationships, want me to keep going? Just looking at simple associations tells us little to nothing! It is not indicative of cause!”

it’s true correlation doesn’t equal causation. however aren’t all of the POSSIBLE CONFOUNDING factors you mention already accounted for in the study because it was all done in china? you mention the dichtomy in groups of people who ate animal protein and did not was rural verse urban, it’s been a few years since i read the book, but i don’t believe that was the csae. this survey type study was done before china was westernized so the big idea of the study is that all of the factors you mentioned will largely hold steady over populations, these were all still traditional diets, all the same types of populations and habits, all in china, and the main difference is intake in animal protein.

compare what we have here, a strong correlation based on a massive and suggestive study… with the weston price book which i have not read, but sounds like a much more anecdotel type of book…

i agree the china study isn’t rigorous proof of anything, but really is it fair, or helpful to expect that? i don’t know what conclusion to draw but i don’t think you are justified in dismissing the china study so easily.

Comment on The China Study Fallacy by JP

JP — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:26:10 +0000

@BSP - Great post. It’s sad how so many people make those kinds of leaps from correlation to causation in their minds without any real evidence. It’s equally sad how many ordinary people subsequently jump on a particular bandwagon because somebody with a few letters behind their name made that leap (usually to serve their own personal agenda).

@Steve Payne - What on earth does being a “God fearing, Bible believing” person have to do with what people eat in China?

Why do the majority of rural Chinese people not eat a lot of meat? Poverty, NOT religion. Lack of suitable pasture for raising beef cattle, NOT religion.

Your whole comment is quite possibly the most ignorant, irrelevant bit of drivel I’ve ever read in response to a blog about nutrition.

Comment on The China Study Fallacy by Mark Young

Mark Young — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:38:01 +0000

Great stuff Brian!

First time I’ve read your blog and I’ll be adding you to my RSS feed.

Comment on The China Study Fallacy by Evan

Evan — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:00:54 +0000

Amen Brian, keep it coming.

Comment on The China Study Fallacy by Jet-Online Personal Training

Jet-Online Personal Training — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:19:19 +0000

If you prefer to train at home you can save time by not travelling to the gym. As well, you’ll save time by not fluffing around wondering what to do.

Comment on The China Study Fallacy by Steve Payne

Steve Payne — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:12:46 +0000

Brian,
Good piece. Here’s the way I see…and before we start, please understand that I am biased…:
*God tells me in the Bible that eating meat is O.K.
*Lots of folks in China are not God fearing, Bible believing people. (I understand this is a generalization, but in this particular instance I believe it has merit. I doubt the Chinese authors of this study read much of the Bible since it must be smuggled into the country…)
* Since I ain’t Chinese, I go with what God says. Ergo…I eat meat. And lots of it.

Comment on The China Study Fallacy by Yael Grauer

Yael Grauer — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:28:49 +0000

Check this out, too:
http://www.performancemenu.com/articles/proteinDebate.pdf

A fascinating (and long) Cordain vs. Campbell debate.