Day 269 - 25 Jun 96 - Page 32


     
     1        A.  Yes.
     2
     3   Q.   Some of which have not only a nutrient benefit but actually
     4        are benign?
     5        A.  That is correct.  Some are thrombogenic and some
     6        contribute more to atherosclerosis, but the reality is that
     7        when you are talking about the diet or a food, that all
     8        these fatty acids tend to occur together.  So it is very
     9        difficult to sort of separate out other than experimental
    10        situations the difference between stearic acid, palmitic
    11        acid or myristic acid.
    12
    13   Q.   Am I right, if various authorities in the world say do not
    14        exceed ten per cent of your energy in the form of saturated
    15        fat --
    16        A.  Yes.
    17
    18   Q.   -- what they are aiming at is that element within the
    19        saturated fat which is perceived to be hazardous?
    20        A.  Yes, because in fact the elements that are responsible
    21        for one thing and another and the elements that are
    22        responsible for it are benign, some of the very short chain
    23        fatty acids which might be used purely as an energy source
    24        and burn very quickly, really all occur together, with,
    25        give or take, one or two minor modifications between milk
    26        fats, butter fats, ruminant, adipose fats.  Generally
    27        speaking, the major fatty acids that are of a saturated
    28        nature are occurring together in all of these fats.
    29
    30   Q.   Thank you.  Can we turn over the page then please.  I am
    31        going to come back to Arnott, Professor Crawford, towards
    32        the end of your paper, if I may, but I would like to ask
    33        you about the North Karelia programme in Finland.
    34        A.  Yes.
    35
    36   Q.   A feature of that programme, although we do not here have
    37        the data about it, two features of that were, were they
    38        not, that the programme involved no smoking and no drinking
    39        condition.  Is that right?
    40        A.   That is right.  I do not think that the no drinking
    41        provision was entirely enacted upon by the majority of
    42        people in Finland.
    43
    44   Q.   No?
    45        A.  It was a reduction in excessive alcohol consumption.  I
    46        think the Finns were rather notorious, as some of the other
    47        Scandinavian countries were, for excessive alcohol
    48        consumption.
    49
    50   Q.   I mean, the onset of heart disease or atherosclerosis or
    51        whatever is a multi-factorial process?
    52        A.   One would accept that.
    53
    54   Q.   And diet is only one of these things?
    55        A.   Diet is one, but a major contributor.
    56
    57   Q.   Now, you have written on another page that Ancel Keys work
    58        suggests that saturated fat has a 70% role, if I can put it
    59        that way --
    60        A.   Yes.

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