Day 296 - 07 Nov 96 - Page 42
1 the cumulative effect on the diet. That was day 33, page
2 10. Dr. Barnard stated that if the overall diet is to be
3 low in fat and cholesterol and high in fibre and vitamins,
4 as McDonald's themselves have suggested, then the
5 McDonald's meal pushes the diet in precisely the wrong
6 direction. That was day 33, page 58. (Pause).
7
8 MR. MORRIS: We were, about half an hour ago, considering the
9 effects of fat in the diet relevant to disease problems,
10 and obesity is a very important consideration. It is
11 recognised to be a major crisis in the western world, the
12 growing obesity problem and all the degenerative diseases
13 that thereby inevitably result, including diabetes and
14 heart disease and cancer. The one thing that was not
15 mentioned specifically at that time, half an hour ago, was
16 also the displacement of fibre in the diet which is, as
17 night follows day, the greater the fat content of the food
18 in general the lower the fibre content, and every
19 McDonald's witness, I think without exception, has had no
20 problem with recognising that fibre is an important
21 contributor to preventing cancer of the bowel and in
22 general is a very important part of a healthy diet in any
23 event. So -----
24
25 MR JUSTICE BELL: Just pause a moment. (Pause) Yes.
26
27 MR. MORRIS: The salt content is obviously very significant but
28 because it is conceded by the Plaintiffs as a non-issue
29 because of heart disease being taken out of the frame, in
30 terms of the causal relationship between diet and heart
31 disease, which would include the salt, it is not something
32 that we have concentrated so much on in our submissions; it
33 is still very relevant. I think that sugar is very
34 relevant too, it is relevant to obesity.
35
36 MR JUSTICE BELL: At some stage I would like you to give me a
37 reference to that, because it is easy to think that people,
38 for instance, do eat lots of chocolates and get fat, but
39 the thrust of the more recent stuff does not seem to
40 concentrate on sugar, save so far as dental care is
41 concerned.
42
43 MR. MORRIS: Well, sugar certainly contributes to an excess of
44 calories, which is the major cause of obesity.
45
46 MR JUSTICE BELL: I can see that as a proposition, but that is
47 why I am inviting you to put me right on it. My
48 recollection is that a lot of recent material says that,
49 however you may think that is, they don't pick on it as
50 actually contributing in fact to the problem.
51
52 MR. MORRIS: You say a lot of the recent material. Are we
53 talking about one of McDonald's witnesses brought this up?
54
55 MR. JUSTICE BELL: The recent COMA report, and so on. But I am
56 only mentioning it. When I mention these things it is not
57 to say you are wrong, it is just to give you the
58 opportunity of seeing what is in my mind so you can tell me
59 I am wrong.
60
