Day 035 - 12 Oct 94 - Page 48
1 androstenedione?
2 A. That is correct which has -----
3
4 Q. That has a tendency to increase the level of oestrone?
5 A. Yes, that is correct.
6
7 Q. Which is observed to have a tumour promoting effect both
8 in humans and in animals; is that right?
9 A. It seems to be correct, yes.
10
11 Q. It seems to be correct. What I want to know is what you
12 see, apart from making people fat in the first place, or
13 say is the role of a high-fat diet in that process?
14 A. What is the role of a high-fat diet in the process of
15 conversion of the androstenedione to oestrone?
16
17 Q. Or at any stage in the process?
18
19 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Can I put it this way, partly so
20 I understand what you are being asked, we understand where
21 quantities of adipose tissue may come into the equation?
22 A. Yes.
23
24 Q. We understand what you say about fat being a ready and
25 efficient source of calories.
26 A. Yes.
27
28 Q. I think (and Mr. Rampton will correct me if I am wrong) he
29 is asking is there more to it than that, according to your
30 thesis?
31
32 MR. RAMPTON: That is right.
33
34 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Is that right?
35
36 MR. RAMPTON: Yes, that is right. I am sorry.
37
38 THE WITNESS: Thank you. Several things need to be mentioned
39 in that context. The first is that fat does not promote
40 obesity solely because of its calorie content. I am
41 pausing because I am not sure if that is a clear concept.
42
43 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Add a simple explanation, a simple
44 development of that.
45 A. OK. If two diets that are designed to be isocaloric,
46 they contain an equal number of calories, but one happens
47 to derive its calories from fat predominantly and the
48 other derives its calories from carbohydrate or protein,
49 which is basically all that is left as far as providing
50 calories goes, that diet which is composed, which is
51 higher in fat will encourage obesity with -- individuals
52 who follow that diet will have a higher body weight.
53
54 And the reason -- there are a couple of reasons for that;
55 obviously, that the calorogenic nature of fat is
56 important, but aside from that, a high-fat diet does not
57 allow the normal metabolic functions of the body to be
58 stimulated to burn calories.
59
60 When the body consumes the complex carbohydrates which it
