Day 253 - 21 May 96 - Page 32
1 rather a small change, unfortunately. It would be nice if
2 it was.
3
4 Q. Then, if we can move, please, to figure 2.24, "Body Mass
5 Index Distribution". Once again, can I put it in layman's
6 terms, Professor Naismith, the higher the body mass index,
7 or the figure for body mass index, the fatter I am; is that
8 right?
9 A. Yes, it is a measure of the degree of fatness or
10 leanness of an individual.
11
12 Q. Then we look at this and we see that the Germans and the
13 French are both fatter than we are. That is to say, our
14 men of 35 to 64 years in age?
15 A. On average, yes, they are indeed.
16
17 Q. Do you know where, with these sort of figures, one moves
18 from being fat to being obese?
19 A. Well, there is an arbitrary definition, and that is
20 that with a body mass index between 20 and 25 you are a
21 healthy body weight. That can cover perhaps 2 stone
22 difference between somebody who is 20 and somebody who is
23 25 in the body mass index, so there is a lot of flexibility
24 there. But once you touch 25 you are overweight and when
25 you get up to 30 you are obese. If you wanted to look at
26 that in terms of weight that we can understand, a 6-foot
27 man would be healthy at 12 stones, at 13 and a half stone
28 he would be defined as overweight and at 16 stone he would
29 be obese.
30
31 Q. So, for the West Germans something like 15 per cent of
32 their male population between 35 and 64 years old are
33 obese?
34 A. Yes.
35
36 Q. And for the French it is something less, it would be about
37 12 per cent?
38 A. Yes.
39
40 Q. We come out roughly 9 per cent, I would say, looking at the
41 chart?
42 A. Yes.
43
44 Q. For those non-obese fatties, again it looks as though the
45 West Germans and the French both exceed us?
46 A. Yes.
47
48 Q. From 25 to 29. Then finally figure 2.25. You mention
49 smoking yesterday as being likely, or the stopping of
50 smoking is being far likelier to have an effect in the
51 prevention of heart disease than any sort of change in
52 diet; is that right?
53 A. That is so, yes.
54
55 Q. This chart, alas, is expressed the other way round in that
56 the white blocks represent regular smokers, the pale pink
57 other smokers -- I suppose that means occasional smokers,
58 perhaps the odd cigar or something -- and then ex-smokers
59 and non-smokers. Can we assume the dark pink non-smokers
60 means people who have never smoked?
