Day 269 - 25 Jun 96 - Page 86
1 is people who are at the cutting edge of these sciences
2 would argue very strongly that because people have
3 identified these relationships which were firstly
4 epidemiological and then secondly, that they were, if you
5 like tested experimentally, and I would suggest to you that
6 the library shelves has now grown with evidence implicating
7 saturated fats in coronary heart disease and it is building
8 up so far as certain forms of cancer is concerned. I would
9 say to you it would be totally irresponsibility for people
10 to ignore this and --
11
12 Q. Oh no, I am not---
13 A. What I would say to you further is this. That the
14 example that I gave to your earlier, namely the contract
15 between the Royal College of Physicians Report in 1976 and
16 the COMA report in 1947 was that the Royal College of
17 Physicians actually made an impact on what people did and
18 it was about that time, as you agree, that we were
19 beginning to see the balance in terms of coronary heart
20 disease beginning to decline. So I think that people have
21 been acting with the highest degree of responsibility in my
22 submission in this respect and that it has saved many
23 thousand lives already.
24
25 Q. I do not dispute that it is being responsible to give
26 advice; far from it. My Lord, I have no further questions
27 in cross-examination.
28
29 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No. Thank you.
30
31 RE-EXAMINED BY MISS STEEL
32
33 Q. You were asked about chips being a good source of vitamin
34 C. Would that be, in paragraph 2.2.3 of your statement
35 where you said about, you agree that: "In itself a
36 McDonald's meal does provide important nutrients. However,
37 those same nutrients can be obtained in other ways without
38 the saturated fat load"?
39 A. Yes.
40
41 Q. Would that apply to getting vitamin C from chips, for
42 example?
43 A. You can -- chips, potatoes have always been considered
44 traditionally as an important source of vitamin C in
45 Britain. There is no doubt about that. There are other
46 sources that are richer but -- by far.
47
48 Q. I mean if, for example --
49 A. A single lemon would have much more vitamin C in it.
50
51 Q. A single lemon. It might not be a very good example?
52 A. You can have it with a gin and tonic.
53
54 Q. I do not know what happens if people do not like lemons,
55 but if we look, for example, at the charts prepared by your
56 department, the homemade meal which contains peppers, for
57 example--
58
59 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Can I suggest that what, your comment in
60 relation to that might be put in this way. That yes,
