The China Study, Part 3: Growth of Cancer Cells

In T. Colin Campbell’s book, "The China Study”, he discusses the three stages of cancer growth: initiation, promotion and progression. Cancer growth is similar to the growth of seeds planted in the ground. The initiation of cancer begins with specific chemicals or carcinogens that transform or mutate healthy cells into cancer prone cells. This mutation can take as little as a few minutes. Once the mutated cells are formed they are considered to be irreversible. At this point the newly formed mutated cells are ready to grow and multiply. This stage normally occurs over an extended period of time.

Cancer cells require a favorable environment in order to grow. If any favorable environmental factors are lacking then the cancer cells will become dormant. In other words the promotion cycle of cancer cells is reversible, given the proper growth environment is removed. Cancer cell growth and decline is highly sensitive to dietary factors, since dietary characteristics create specific internal environments in the body.

The progression of cancer cells is similar to an overgrowth of weeds in a lawn. The cancer cells migrate away from their point of origin, to invade or infest other regions. This stage is also known as malignancy. Metastasizing cancer is when the cancer cells actually break away from the point of origin and moves to a new location.

The initiation phase begins when enzymes in the body metabolize carcinogens. If the correct enzymes are present, the carcinogens are detoxified and cancer cell initiation never begins. If the correct enzymes are not present then the body’s environment is favorable for cancer development. The determining state of the enzymes is related to proteins consumed in the diet, of which there are many.

Per Dr. Campbell’s research, decreasing protein consumption from 20% to 5% of a persons diet reduces carcinogen mutation of healthy cells to cancer cells by 76%! In fact, cancer precursor cell growth is almost entirely dependent on the amount of protein consumed! Even more surprising the research shows that reducing protein intake reversed high quantity of cancer precursor cells from multiplying! His research concluded that protein consumption is the catalyst or switch to turn cancer cell growth on and off. This is good news!

Unfortunately, the average American consumes 15% (60-70 grams) or more protein per day. Dr. Campbell’s research indicates that cancer growth is switched on when the amount of protein consumed per day is above 10% or 50-60 grams. Even more important, cancer cell growth actually declined on a diet of 5% protein. The most astonishing fact that came from the research was that the protein source does influence the cancer growth results: animal protein is responsible for cancer growth, whereas plant based proteins had no influence on cancer cell proliferation.

One of the most potent cancer promoting animal proteins is casein, found only in cow’s milk and it’s byproducts. So, in this Earth Ox year it would be prudent to focus on eating a diet that is more rooted in the earth.

Meridian Harmonics