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Almost all of the listed benefits of veganism in Campbell's book involve eliminating meat and dairy. However, there are exceptions which we will explain.

Campbell reports that Seventh Day Adventists who eat no meat have less diabetes than the Seventh Day Adventists who eat some meat. Their religion forbids meat but allows dairy and eggs.

It is possible that some of the few Seventh Day Adventists who eat some meat have less self control, do not exercise, or eat junk food and therefore are more likely to overeat, smoke, practices that are risk factors for diabetes.

Also, it is possible that those Seventh Day Adventists who eat some meat may not be "true believers" but remain in the religion because they do not want to upset their family. There is actually a health benefit for having religious belief that these folks are missing.

Website that explains the benefit of religion.

Campbell reports that people who are vegeterians or vegan weigh less and have fewer problems with obesity. Vegetarians have more self control and are more likely to exercise and avoid unhealthy foods. Campbell himself admits that those who want to use veganism to lose weight need to avoid junk food and do exercise. He acknowledges that the weight loss will be small but steady. If as a meat eater you decide to exercise and avoid junk food you will also see a small but steady weight loss. SCD is usually seen as a diet that stabilizes weight once an optimal weight is attained.

Campbell cites example of two doctors (Ornish and Morrison) who allowed skim milk but not whole milk on their diets. Since skim milk has less flavor than whole milk, many of their patients not drinking any dairy. There were other factors responsible for the improvements when using the the protocols of Dean Ornish and Lester Morrison. Campbell did report one doctor who initially allowed skim milk later changed his mind and excluded all milk.

Dean Ornish allows a very limited amount of dairy in his program, ostensibly for the prevention of heart diseases. ( Campbelll's book reports that Ornish allows small amounts of skim milk and yogurt). Yogurt not made for SCD contains the milk sugar, lactose but it also has benficial bacteria that might decrease the amount of harmful bacteria involved in CHD. The Ornish program involves more than just elimination of meat and limitation of milk. Ornish emphasizes that diet is only one part of his program.

Read quotes from Ornish:

View this article in Webmd
Although diet's important, it's only one part of my program. Emotional stress plays an important role in just about all illnesses, both directly and indirectly. For example, emotional stress makes arteries constrict and clot blood faster, which, in turn, may cause a heart attack. Also, people are more likely to smoke, overeat, drink too much, work too hard, and so on when they are feeling stressed. Thus, stress management is an important part of what I recommend. These techniques include:

Yoga stretching
Breathing techniques
Meditation and imagery
Support groups

Even a few minutes a day can make a big difference. Also, I recommend moderate exercise. The more you exercise, the more fit you become, but not necessarily the healthier you become. Just walking 20 or 30 minutes a day and not even all that fast can reduce premature death by 50% or more.

Also, of course, I recommend people quit smoking. Paradoxically this is often easier when you change your diet, exercise, and practice stress management techniques, since many smoke when under stress.

The last and perhaps most important part of the program involves love and intimacy. Study after study are showing that people who feel lonely and depressed are more likely to get sick and die prematurely than those who have a strong connection, caring, and community.

These affect quality of life but the studies indicate they also affect quantity of life -- in other words, our survival. Awareness is the first step in healing. Part of the value of science is to raise our value of awareness in as much as diet and lifestyle affects our health -- for better or worse. I hope our chat provides you with information that may be helpful to you.

View a website that discusses the Ornish Diet
There are other elements in the Ornish diet that might account for the improvement in heart function. For example, the Ornish diet results in the elimination of sugar, alcohol and trans fats since Dr Ornish does not allow any fats. Eating trans fats increases the risk of coronary heart disease.[1] Having more than three alcoholic drinks a day has a direct toxic effect on the heart. Over time heavy drinking, can damage the heart and lead to high blood pressure, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, (enlarged and weakened heart), congestive heart failure, and stroke.[2] A diet high in sucrose (ie, >20% of energy) is associated with an elevation of plasma triglyceride concentrations.[3][4]

Campbell uses the experience of Dr. Lester Morrison to make his point against "animal foods".

View the entire review
We found the following information about Dr. Lester Morrison on a website that reviews Campbell's book:

"After turning the discussion to heart disease, Campbell cites the work of Dr. Lester Morrison, the Los Angeles physician who conducted the earliest clinical trials into the effect of diet on heart disease recurrence.

Morrison took 100 heart attack patients and placed half of on what he himself described as a "high-protein, low-fat" diet and a regimen of nutritional supplements that included calcium, phosphorous, wheat germ, and brewer's yeast. After eight years, thirty-eight of the fifty control patients had died, compared to only twenty-two of the treatment patients[Morrison LM].

To listen to Campbell though, you would think that Morrison's dietary intervention group subsisted on anemic protein intakes. Campbell is quick to point out that Morrison allowed only two ounces of meat for lunch and two ounces at dinner. He further points out that whole eggs and whole dairy were prohibited on the diet. What he doesn't mention--but would full well know seeing that he has obviously read Morrison's papers--is that Morrison also prescribed the consumption of 13 ounces of skim milk daily. Morrison's published "Foods Permitted" list also allowed for "egg whites as desired"[Morrison LM]. Clearly, Morrison's diet was not the very low-protein diet regimen that Campbell would have us believe; in fact, the patients consumed protein levels in excess of the RDA and far greater than the miniscule amounts recommended by Campbell. So why doesn't he just level with us? Is it because he has already spent a good portion of his book dumping on protein and dairy products, and can't bring himself to acknowledge that a diet that prescribed daily milk consumption and relatively high protein levels was successful in reducing heart disease?

Campbell also neglects to mention Morrison's intervention was multi-faceted; it also incorporated overall calorie restriction that resulted in weight loss and the use of nutritional supplements. Excess weight has long been linked to higher rates of CHD, while weight loss has been clinically demonstrated to improve various measures of cardiovascular health. Along with a number of vitamins and minerals, Morrison prescribed supplemental wheat germ and brewer's yeast because of their high B-vitamin content, the latter also containing the important antioxidant mineral selenium. It is now well-recognized that certain B-vitamins lower blood levels of a potentially atherogenic substance known as homocysteine, while a small pilot trial found a marked reduction in mortality among CHD patients taking selenium-rich yeast on a daily basis[Schnyder G][Korpela H]."

The next example involves the connection between meat and oxalates. Meat does convert to oxalates. Susan Owens has explained many times that the problems of oxalates from foods is the result of a leaky gut and Crohns. Leaky gut and Crohns are caused by carbohydrate malabsorption and bacterial overgrowth. Please read the kidney section of our website to understand why we do not have to worry about this problem if we can control the overgrowth of bacteria.

The last example involves the connection between meat and increased hormone levels that might increase the risk of breast cancer. Please read the breast cancer section of our website to understand why we do not have to worry about this problem if we can control the overgrowth of bacteria. Bacterial toxins play a key role in breast cancer. We can see the incredible connection between LPS and breast cancer even by examining the issue of estrogen-sensitive tumors. Nod1 has been linked to the growth of estrogen-sensitive tumors. We were not surprised to find out that Nod1 plays a role in host responses to invasive bacteria. There are so many powerful connections between breast cancer and LPS. [5]

References

[1]^ a b c d Food and nutrition board, institute of medicine of the national academies (2005). Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients). National Academies Press, 504.

[2] http://www.womensheartfoundation.org/content/HeartDisease/ alcohol_and_heart_disease.asp

[3]Parks EJ, Hellerstein MK. Carbohydrate-induced hypertriacylglycerolemia: historical perspective and review of biological mechanisms. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000; 71: 412-433.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

[4] Frayn KN, Kingman SM. Dietary sugars and lipid metabolism in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995; 62 (suppl): 250S-261S.[Abstract]

[5] View this article in PubMed
View this article in PubMed
View this article in PubMed
View this article in PubMed
View this article in PubMed
View this article in PubMed