Day 252 - 20 May 96 - Page 45


     
     1        "A number of processes linked with the development of
     2        Atherosclerosis have their origins in childhood, but the
     3        degree to which this determines the occurrence of
     4        Atherosclerosis in adulthood is unclear."
     5
     6        Would you agree with that?
     7        A.   I would certainly agree that it is unclear, yes.
     8
     9   Q.   Would you agree that a number of the processes linked with
    10        the development of Atherosclerosis have their origins in
    11        childhood?
    12        A.  This is a rather contentious matter.  It refers to so
    13        called fatty streaks in very young children.  At
    14        postmortem, the presence of these fatty streaks on artery
    15        walls has been observed and it appears that in adults with
    16        coronary heart disease with atherosclerosis the
    17        atherosclerosis process appears to occur in the region of
    18        these fatty streaks, but whether the fatty streak is a
    19        precursor of Atherosclerosis, or is in fact a normal
    20        feature of the artery wall is something which nobody
    21        knows.  It is simply contentious.
    22
    23   Q.   The fourth paragraph says:
    24
    25        "The dietary and other recommendations in this Report do
    26        not apply before the age of 2 years but apply in full from
    27        the age of 5 years, A flexible approach is recommended to
    28        the times and extent of dietary change for individual
    29        children between the ages of 2 and 5 years."
    30
    31        Would you agree with that?
    32        A.   I have some reservations, I must admit, about that.
    33        This is the notion of feeding children high fibre, high
    34        fruit and vegetable energy, low energy density diets.  This
    35        is likely to result in a restriction in energy intake in
    36        children and a result in poor growth and this, in fact,
    37        does happen, that well meaning parents feed their children
    38        high fibre, low fat, low sugar diets, and this can result
    39        in impaired growth.
    40
    41   Q.   Are you saying that the Government here is talking a load
    42        of rubbish?
    43        A.   No, I am not saying that.  I do not think the
    44        Government is recommending that children should be fed very
    45        low fat, low sugar, high fibre diets. They give a
    46        prescription for a diet but the problem is it is very
    47        difficult for ordinary people to translate this
    48        prescription into terms of food and the result is they go
    49        rather over the top with their healthy eating and the
    50        children grow poorly and there is lots of evidence that 
    51        this is, in fact, occurring. 
    52 
    53   Q.   It is the case, is it not, that the Government is
    54        recommending that the Health Recommendations regarding 35
    55        percent of energy intake maximum coming from fat and 10
    56        percent from saturated fat, and the sodium restrictions,
    57        and the other dietary recommendations, are intended to
    58        apply from the age of 5 years old and that, basically, they
    59        are to be phased in between the ages of 2 and 5?
    60        A.   I certainly think if one did not go below these

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