4 ms·

I'm not reasoning that all foods are equally beneficial and harmful, and I accept that it may very well be that a plant-based diet is superior to a meat-based d

by zngtk4 17y ago

I'm not reasoning that all foods are equally beneficial and harmful, and I accept that it may very well be that a plant-based diet is superior to a meat-based diet. I reject the idea, however, that we know enough to say that this is true, and I absolutely reject the idea of significantly changing behavior based solely on epidemiological studies -- the epidemiological studies should be the starting point for much further study. To date, most large-scale controlled studies on diet have unfortunately been shelved. It should entirely be possible to separate multiple groups on multiple different diets and see what happens over a period of, say, ten years -- one diet as vegetarian, one diet as meat/fruit/nut but no grains, a fish+vegetarian diet, while holding other variables constant (such as calories). This is what we need to do to know, and this is what has consistently been proposed, but not done.

grandalf 17y ago
You are correct. However the study that you call for has been done in laboratory animals -- TCC found that (controlling for calories, etc.) the animal proteins he studied led to the growth of cancer cells, while plant based foods did not cause cancer to develop, even in an environment of radiation, etc., that would typically be thought to be the cause of the cancer. I fully agree that the study you mention would be hugely beneficial, but by your logic one ought to smoke cigarettes if one chooses, or at least ought to have done so in the 1980s before more conclusive evidence began to emerge... even though most doctors/scientists had held a strong belief that smoking was a bad idea for decades. If one were to base all of his health decisions on studies that were conclusively done in humans (without regard for any animal studies, etc.) one would be limited to a 1950s understanding. Humans are not mice, and the studies don't all correlate perfectly, but many do. And they contain valuable (though not necessarily conclusive) information.

by zngtk4 17y ago

grandalf 17y ago

You are correct. However the study that you call for has been done in laboratory animals -- TCC found that (controlling for calories, etc.) the animal proteins he studied led to the growth of cancer cells, while plant based foods did not cause cancer to develop, even in an environment of radiation, etc., that would typically be thought to be the cause of the cancer. I fully agree that the study you mention would be hugely beneficial, but by your logic one ought to smoke cigarettes if one chooses, or at least ought to have done so in the 1980s before more conclusive evidence began to emerge... even though most doctors/scientists had held a strong belief that smoking was a bad idea for decades. If one were to base all of his health decisions on studies that were conclusively done in humans (without regard for any animal studies, etc.) one would be limited to a 1950s understanding. Humans are not mice, and the studies don't all correlate perfectly, but many do. And they contain valuable (though not necessarily conclusive) information.