Day 298 - 11 Nov 96 - Page 34


     
     1        government of 1,600 milligrams a day and is above that
     2        recommended for a 10 year old child of 1,200 milligrams a
     3        day.
     4
     5   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Are those maximums?
     6
     7   MR. RAMPTON:   No, my Lord.  That is the RNI, the 1,600.  The
     8        DRV is about 2,385.
     9
    10   MS. STEEL:   It is my recollection that there is no -- beyond
    11        like the salt that is naturally found in foods, there is no
    12         -- which is a minimal amount -- there is no requirement
    13        for additional salt, and that those figures -- the 1,600
    14        milligrams is the recommended amount.  It is not what
    15        people are trying to achieve per day.  I am quite sure
    16        about that.  But if you want -----
    17
    18   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   No, I just want to -- just let me have a --
    19        (Pause) Well, the 1,600 is what they call the RNI, which is
    20        reference nutrient intake, the amount that is enough or
    21        more than enough for about 97 percent of the people in the
    22        group, so that if the average intake of the group is at the
    23        RNI then the risk of deficiency in the group is very small.
    24
    25   MS. STEEL:   I think it was slightly different to salt.  I do
    26        remember something about this at the time, now I think
    27        about what they were saying.  It did come up that apart
    28        from anything else the World Health Organisation says we do
    29        not need additional salt at all.  But perhaps it would be a
    30        good idea if I dug out the reference.
    31
    32   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I think you are thinking of the paragraph
    33        that dealt with and said "the panel were unable to offer
    34        guidance on high consumption, though noted that usual
    35        intakes are in excess of 140 ml a day.  That would be about
    36        3,200 milligrams.  The panel saw no physiological advantage
    37        in exceeding this intake.  I assume that to refer back to
    38        the 1600 rather than the twice as much.  And considered
    39        that it would not be appropriate to increase these intakes
    40        further.
    41
    42        I was just merely taking issue with what you said about
    43        maximum, because that was not my recollection of what was
    44        said.
    45
    46   MS. STEEL:   That is the evidence by Jane Brophy, who is a
    47        health professional who does give advice about this to the
    48        public.  I think that the situation with sodium is, I think
    49        the grey book is extremely confusing.
    50
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Did she say that 1600 was the maximum?
    52
    53   MS. STEEL:   I am 99 percent certain that those are her exact
    54        words.  (Pause)  Yes, it is actually taken directly from
    55        her statement.  The sodium content of McDonald's meal
    56        combination one is closer to the maximum recommended by the
    57        government of 1,600 milligrams.
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, that may be in her statement, but all
    60        I was asking was, I assumed that when she says the maximum

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