Day 035 - 12 Oct 94 - Page 63
1 evidence on Monday, that by the mid-1980s it was, what
2 I shall say, consensus among American medical scientists
3 that the associations between diet and colon and breast
4 cancer were causal in nature. I come back, therefore, to
5 the question that I have asked before: If it were so, why
6 is not this distinguished body of committees saying so?
7 A. Allow me to take a look and see what they are saying.
8
9 Q. Would you like to read the text?
10
11 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just sit there and I suggest you start at
12 595 because it does refer to a number of papers, the names
13 of which will be familiar to you.
14 A. Let me make one observation part way through the
15 reading, if I may? It is true they are saying in summary,
16 that there is some inconsistency. But, if my count is
17 correct, when they talk about studies linking colorectal
18 cancer with dietary fat or meat, they list 16 studies that
19 have shown a positive relationship. They also say,
20 however, that some studies that show no relationship and
21 by my count they have perhaps six of them which they then
22 qualify by saying that they had -- those studies not
23 showing a positive correlation usually included narrow
24 ranges of fat intake, the same problem Willett's study
25 had. So, one may characterise that as inconsistent.
26 However, the weight of the evidence certainly bears
27 notice.
28
29 MR. RAMPTON: Nobody disputes that as a basis for further
30 research, Dr. Barnard, that is undoubtedly right, but look
31 and see what it says just below that?
32 A. Yes, I am just coming to that.
33
34 Q. The very next sentence.
35 A. Yes, the next sentence, the fact that there are other
36 dietary factors, particularly protein and calories, that
37 correlate not only with cancer, but also with fat suggests
38 this is the reason why many people in writing dietary
39 brochures will say such language as a diet high in fat,
40 animal products, sodium, sugar, these things tend to
41 travel together. Meat contains only protein and fat as
42 macro-nutrients. It contains no carbohydrates, so the two
43 do tend to correlation together and because fat is very
44 concentrated in calories the calories cannot help but
45 correlate.
46
47 Q. I think your statement, Dr. Barnard, I know it is late and
48 you are probably way and, anyway, you spoke quickly, it is
49 probably a bit unfair, but it also contains considerable
50 quantities of minerals, does it not?
51 A. Those are not macro-nutrients. Forgive me, I went
52 over the word rather quickly, macro-nutrients.
53
54 Q. I know what a macro-nutrient is, but nevertheless an
55 intake of certain minerals is essential to human health?
56 A. I was not getting into that.
57
58 Q. But that is right?
59 A. One certainly does need minerals, yes.
60
