Day 253 - 21 May 96 - Page 19


     
     1        A.  Yes.
     2
     3   Q.   Do they seem reasonable recommendations to you?
     4        A.  No, they do not.  All of the recommendations that are
     5        made in this WHO Report -- and I think it is worth pointing
     6        out the WHO Report was not a report on diet and heart
     7        disease, it was a report looking at nutrient intake, it was
     8        looking at deficiencies, mineral vitamin deficiency,
     9        worldwide change in food pattern, one small section, or one
    10        section of which was related to one of the generated
    11        diseases which is cardio-vascular disease.
    12
    13        Now, this part of the report here which makes
    14        recommendations, the values here are extreme and they are a
    15        great deal more extreme than, for example, the values that
    16        are proposed in the COMA Report.
    17
    18   Q.   Relating to heart disease?
    19        A.  Yes.  I think it is important to recognise that this is
    20        a report which was put together by a panel of experts on
    21        diet and cardio-vascular disease and various related
    22        diseases.
    23
    24   Q.   All corresponding diseases?
    25        A.  That one was not.  This is a much more general report
    26        and, as I mentioned earlier, was strongly influenced by the
    27        views of the Chairman, I do not want to go into that, but
    28        certainly the recommendations of fibre here.
    29
    30        Specifically in the other COMA Report, which was looking at
    31        recommendations for the British population on diet, they
    32        would certainly not endorse these extremely high values for
    33        fibre, nor would they endorse such extreme changes in fat
    34        intake or sugar intake.
    35
    36   Q.   Right.  The 30, for example, percentage of fat intake is
    37        the American standard recommended level; is it not?
    38        A.  I believe the American level have adopted 30.  I think
    39        the British Committee felt that this, at this stage, was
    40        unrealistic, and if we can get the value down to 35 within
    41        the next 10 years then we might think about pushing it down
    42        to 30.
    43
    44   Q.   At a later stage.  The 30 is not extreme, is it?  It is
    45        just a question of practicality?
    46        A.  30 I do not think is extreme.  I think that one could
    47        achieve 30 per cent without a great deal of difficulty.
    48
    49   Q.   The fibre recommendations, what you are saying is that
    50        these relate to a whole range of chronic diseases, whereas 
    51        in terms of heart disease specifically, you do not see a 
    52        need for that range? 
    53        A.  No.  The point I made about the range of interest was
    54        that the WHO Report is looking at nutrition in general, not
    55        simply generated diseases.
    56
    57   Q.   It says: "Diet nutrition and the prevention of chronic
    58        diseases"?
    59        A.  Yes, or diet and nutrition is a major part of the
    60        document, yes.

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