Dear Friends:
I am not interested in pursuing this discussion any further, but just for the record and since I offered to post it here; this is the reply I got today from Dr. Colin Campbell from Cornell University regarding Ms. Fallon comments on B12 and vegetarianism. I also got a comment from Dr. David Levitsky, an specialist in evaluating fad diets from Cornell University, that I will add to the end of this post.
Many thanks
Guillermo Romero I.
************************
>Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2000 15:53:27 -0500
>From: "T. Colin Campbell" <tcc1@cornell.edu>
>Subject: Re: B12/vegan diets/organic ag.
>X-Sender: tcc1@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu (Unverified)
>To: Guillermo Romero <romerog@Prodigy.Net.mx>
>MIME-version: 1.0
>
>Dear Guillermo:
>
>Thank you for the message. I just now got to my e-mail--my apologies.
>
>We have had more than 4 dozen peer reviewed papers on the China Project and they are mostly lised on http://www.newcenturynutrition.com
>
>My views on vegetarianism/veganism ARE NOT solely based on the China Project but on a large amount of data from many, many sources. Also, I have repeatedly said that many people can have excellent health WITHOUT going vegan but, in contrast, there is little or no evidence that ANYONE would suffer adverse health effects if they chose to be vegan AND IF they did it the right way.
>
>It seems that many commentators on this topic are expressing views from their economic, religious, or philosphical paradigms and prejudices, rather than on their ability to understand and interpret scientific evidence. Incidentally, it IS NOT true that a Stephen Byrnes wrote the article on B12 to which Sally Fallon refers. He is Dr. Mozafar in Switzerland who published his work in peer reviewed journals.
>
>I would especially call to your attention the following articles which mostly summarize our China findings. All are peer reviewed articles.
>
>Campbell, T. C. and J. Chen (1994). "Diet and chronic degenerative diseases:perspectives from China." Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 59: 1153S-1161S.
>
>Campbell, T. C. (1994). The dietary causes of degenerative diseases: nutrients vs foods. Western diseases: their dietary prevention and reversibility. N. J. Temple and D. P. Burkitt. Totowa, NJ, Humana Press: 119-152.
>
>Campbell, T. C. and J. Chen (1994). Diet and chronic degenerative diseases: a summary of results from an ecologic study in rural China. Western diseases: their dietary prevention and reversibility. N. J. Temple and D. P. Burkitt. Totowa, NJ, Humana Press: 67-118.
>
>Campbell, T.C., Chen, J.C. Diet and Health Characteristics in Rural China: Lessons Learned and Unlearned. Nutr. Today 34:116-123, 1999.
>
>On your invitation to join your discussion forum, I am so overwhelmed with work that I must respectfully decline.
>
>Thank you again,
>
>Colin
>
>
>
>>Dear Dr. Campbell:
>>
>>I am writing to you to request your participation in a little discussion that is happening in two important electronic forums re. sustainable ag, namely BD-Now and SANET.
>>
>>Your name and your opinions on B12 and vegetarian diets has come up in both forums and I used an article by you posted in SANET to confront Ms. Sally Fallon positions on the subject. Ms Fallon is the author of "Nourishing Traditions" and an advocate for returning to (natural fed) animal based diets. If you are not familiar with her work, you might be interested in checking her web site at http://www.westonaprice.org/
>>
>> In response to the email I wrote (I will send you a copy as well), she wrote the following statements. If you are interested in replying I would be glad to post your answer. You can follow the discussions by subscribing to the lists or by checking the archives at http://csf.colorado.edu/archive/2000/bdnow/
>>
>>
>>
>>>Special to BD Now!
>>
>>>Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 14:51:12 EST
>>>Subject: Re: Sally Fallon's/ organic and nutrition
>>>
>>>B12 Debate
>>>
>>>There is a form of B12 in plant foods but it is not available to humans and
>>>some researchers believe that this B12 actually blocks the uptake of the
>>>animal form.
>>>
>>>How do we know that B12 in plants is not absorbed. Consider the rabbits
>>>who
>>>eat plant foods all day long. Do they absorb the B12 from the plants? No
>>>they do not. To get their B12, the eat fermented rabbit pellets (I. e.
>>>their
>>>own excrement.)
>>>
>>>Human groups who are largely vegetarian get their B12 from insects--either
>>>small insects in their food (which can makeup as much as 10% of the food)
>>>or
>>>larger insects they deliberately catch and eat.
>>>
>>>Vegans risk creating a lot of negative karma for themselves with the blithe
>>>assurance that we can get B12 from plant food. The consequences of B12
>>>deficiency are very tragic. By the way, the article they quoted from was
>>>written by Stephen Byrnes who has treated many former vegetarians who
>
>>>brought
>>>themselves to the point of death on a vegan diet. Unfortunately, once the
>>>damage from B12 deficiency goes too far, a complete recovery is not
>>>possible.
>>>
>>>Colin Campbell is a complete fool who makes claims for his China study that
>>>are not true, and who is advocating a vegan death diet for growing
>>>children.
>>>
>>>Sally Fallon
>>
>>Many thanks for your attention and warm greetings.
>>
>>Guillermo Romero Ibarrola
>>Comala, Colima, MEXICO
>><romerog@Prodigy.Net.mx>
>
************
>Date: Fri, 04 Feb 2000 11:14:53 -0500
>From: Cornell Nutrition Expert <nutrition_expert-mailbox@cornell.edu>
>Subject: Re: Question, Expert
>X-Sender: nutrition_expert-mailbox@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu
>To: romerog@prodigy.net.mx (Guillermo Romero)
>MIME-version: 1.0
>
>Dear Mr. Romero:
>
>Ms. Fallon is another public feature making money from telling people what
>they want to hear. She is totally wrong about Professor Campbell explanation
>about B12. How can she explain why the rate of pernicious anemia (symptom of
>B12 deficiency) is no greater among vegetarians than non-vegetarians? She
>can't. You are right to keep asking Ms. Fallon or any other expert,
>including this one, what scientific information are you basing your
>conclusions on.
>
>David Levitsky, Ph.D.
>Division of Nutritional Sciences
>Cornell University
****************
Guillermo Romero Ibarrola
Comala, Colima, MEXICO
<romerog@Prodigy.Net.mx>
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
http://www.sare.org/san/htdocs/hypermail
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Mar 12 2000 - 14:00:21 EST