Day 266 - 20 Jun 96 - Page 19


     
     1        intersalt revisited', is it?
     2        A.   The way that the BMJ does papers is they do sort of
     3        like a scientific study with the results published, and
     4        then they have comments from people on the report.
     5
     6   Q.   I understand that, but you at some stage -- I do not have
     7        my screen this morning so I cannot look at it back -- but
     8        you said this is a significant study, or words to that
     9        effect?
    10        A.   Yes.
    11
    12   Q.   And all I am asking is which study were you talking of when
    13        you said it was a significant study?
    14        A.   The one, the intersalt findings.
    15
    16   MR. MORRIS:  If you look at--
    17
    18   MS. STEEL:   Intersalt is 1 and 3.
    19
    20   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Please, I must have the witness tell me.
    21
    22   MS. STEEL:  I was going say it is actually 1 and 3 in the
    23        references.
    24
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, I know, but there are two referred to.
    26        There is 3 and there is 8.  I want to know which was the
    27        significant one.  Is it the one which says how much the
    28        level of mercury is reduced by, or is it the one which
    29        associates those drops with a certain percentage lowering
    30        of the incidence of heart disease, and Mrs. Brophy has
    31        answered that now by saying it is the intersalt one.
    32
    33   MR. MORRIS:  Yes, she referred to 32 countries.  If we look in
    34        the very first paragraph of the whole document it says: "In
    35        1988 the intersalt study."
    36
    37   MR. MORRIS:  I know.  All I wanted her to do was tell me which
    38        one, and she had done?
    39        A.   Is that OK?
    40
    41   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.
    42        A.   Right.  So going back to the comment and assuming we
    43        are all clear about which study we are talking about, the
    44        excess dietary salt is a serious public health hazard, the
    45        question was whether I agreed with that statement or not.
    46        My job would not be necessarily to study all the different
    47        scientific, you know, nuances, but my job is to interpret
    48        that data and put it across in a way that health
    49        professionals understand, and the health professionals will
    50        put it across in a way that the public understand, and the
    51        paper is backing up the evidence that has been thought for
    52        a long time that salt is a serious public health hazard. 
    53        And, yes, I could definitely agree with that, and when I am
    54        giving advice to people I would give them advice on the way
    55        to reduce their salt intake.
    56
    57             Going back to the some of the things that were
    58        mentioned before in terms of how people reduce their salt
    59        content, it is very difficult because most people eat
    60        processed foods these days so therefore just reducing the

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