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
