Day 266 - 20 Jun 96 - Page 30
1 Q. Let me explain what I am suggesting to you and then you can
2 comment. You yourself have said, which I must say I
3 entirely agree with, that the consideration of the
4 relationship between diet and health is multifactorial?
5 A. Multifactorial in terms of nutrients of the foods
6 involved, and the ones that have been mentioned are the
7 ones that I would include in that multifactorial situation.
8
9 Q. There are lots of things which are not related to diet at
10 all. There is the degree of physical exercise, whether
11 people smoke, and if you exclude alcohol from diet there is
12 the amount of alcohol they drink. Those are just 3 topics
13 which are not related in any sense to diet and they all
14 have to be taken into account, do they not?
15 A. If you asking me a question I am not sure what
16 question you are asking me.
17
18 Q. You have to take into account when assessing the
19 relationship between diet and health not only the factors
20 within diet but also factors which are not concerned with
21 diet at all, which have to do with lifestyle?
22 A. My job in the health promotion department that I work
23 in is, at the moment, you know, jobs do change, my job is
24 to look at exercise and diet and alcohol, and there is
25 another part of my job that is not covered at the moment
26 due to a vacant post, which is looking at other factors in
27 coronary heart disease as well. Yes, I am very much aware
28 of that, working within the health department we are
29 looking at all factors that relate to health.
30
31 But the particular role I have at the moment, because
32 of the qualifications and experience I have, is to look at
33 diet and I am here to answer question on diet. If you want
34 to ask me anything about exercise I would be happy to
35 answer that, but it was not my understanding that I was
36 here to answer questions about exercise.
37
38 Q. Do not worry.
39
40 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No. If you are asked a question even though
41 it is not in your immediate speciality if you think you can
42 give an answer do so. If on the other hand you think you
43 do not because you do not consider yourself an expert in
44 that part of the broad field, then do not hesitate to say
45 so.
46 A. I feel I have the knowledge of the other factors that
47 relate to health and disease if you want to ask me any
48 specific questions about that, and it is currently my role
49 to promote exercise as a health promoting activity.
50
51 Q. I am only proposing this in the hope that you might agree
52 with it, that when you are considering the relationship
53 between diet and health it is no good focusing on one
54 particular element in the diet, and it is no good focusing
55 on diet alone, what you have to consider are all the
56 factors that make up diet and where the diet fits into the
57 lifestyle of the population in question?
58 A. That is absolutely true. When you are looking at
59 promoting health you need to look at diet and you need to
60 look at exercise. For example, if somebody had a poor
