Day 034 - 11 Oct 94 - Page 67
1 I have referred to earlier related to mercury and
2 polychlorinated biphenyls and others which is a very
3 serious problem, at least, in the waterways in North
4 America.
5
6 Q. In some parts of the world pollution is a problem. Your
7 vegetables can be polluted by emissions from traffic, can
8 they not? There is nothing special about fish as victims
9 of pollution, is there, Dr. Barnard?
10 A. I cannot agree with.
11
12 Q. You do not believe that high concentrates of led, or it
13 might be nitrates and nitrites in vegetables may be
14 damaging to human health?
15 A. Yes, contamination of vegetables and fruits can be a
16 very serious problem.
17
18 Q. It can, can it not? So, on that basis fish are no better
19 or worse off than vegetables, are they?
20 A. There are particular health concerns of fish.
21
22 Q. It is not an argument against eating fish, that some of
23 them are contaminated by the carelessness of human
24 polluting agents, is it?
25 A. I am trying to understand what would be a "yes" or
26 "no" to that question.
27
28 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No.
29
30 MR. RAMPTON: I am wondering -----
31 A. There are particular problems from fish, yes.
32
33 Q. I am wondering what really lies at the root of your
34 opposition to the consumption of fish?
35 A. Fish, clearly, well, not all fish, many species of
36 fish, excluding, for example, the mobile shell fish such
37 as shrimp and lobster what we call crayfish, setting those
38 to the side, most other fish are lower in cholesterol,
39 although those particular ones are really quite high in
40 cholesterol, higher per weight than beef, quite
41 substantially.
42
43 Q. Which kind of cholesterol?
44 A. There is only one kind of cholesterol in food.
45
46 Q. You are talking about dietary cholesterol?
47 A. Yes, I am talking about the cholesterol content.
48
49 Q. Can I do a little red herring with you -- that is not a
50 pun on the conversation about fish -- dietary cholesterol
51 is no longer the same kind of concern as blood serum
52 cholesterol, is it?
53 A. Epidemiological studies and clinical studies have
54 given most attention to serum cholesterol. One
55 contributor to that which is still as important as it ever
56 was is dietary cholesterol. You are quite correct in that
57 it is not as important as the amount of saturated fat, but
58 it is an important factor.
59
60 Q. Your argument against fish is cholesterol, that
