Day 270 - 28 Jun 96 - Page 54
1 is that these fats tend to be avidly incorporated by
2 certain 'scavenger' cells known as macrophages. As they
3 continue to engulf blood fats, macrophages become larger
4 and may eventually deposit on the lining of blood vessels
5 including the coronary arteries which supply blood to the
6 heart. Therefore, persistent amounts of blood fat derived
7 from a long standing diet high in total and saturated fat
8 may accelerate hardening of the arteries (also referred to
9 as atherosclerosis) and lead to a heart attack, stroke or
10 death. Food products that contain excess amounts of
11 saturated fats may therefore be important contributors to
12 this process. Such products include hamburgers,
13 cheeseburgers, deep fried foods and ice-cream, all of which
14 are readily available in fast food outlets such as
15 McDonald's.
16 I hope that this information has been helpful. I am
17 also enclosing a copy of our abstract. If I can be of any
18 additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact
19 me. Good luck and best wishes", and it is signed by
20 Dr. Michael Miller, Assistant Professor of Medicine.
21
22 The next one is from Dr. Vogel.
23
24 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I think he is probably a professor because he
25 holds a particular chair, whereas Dr. Miller is Assistant
26 Professor. So maybe we should call him Professor Vogel.
27
28 MR. MORRIS: Okay, yes. So this is from Professor Vogel,
29 Professor Robert A. Vogel, V-O-G-E-L, MD, Herbert Berger,
30 Professor of Medicine, Head, Division of Cardiology,
31 University of Maryland, School of Medicine, and this is
32 dated 14th May, 1996. It is addressed to me:
33
34 "Dear Mr. Morris, I am sending you an abstract summarizing
35 a scientific study my group presented at the American
36 College of Cardiology meetings held in Orlando, Florida
37 during May 1996. Our study covers the effect of eating a
38 high fat (50 gram) breakfast obtained at McDonald's on
39 endothelial function, which is thought to be the initial
40 factor in the development of coronary heart disease. The
41 study was undertaken to better elucidate the mechanism by
42 which a high fat diet leads to the development of coronary
43 and other atherosclerosis. One clearly established
44 mechanism is that high fat meals increase the body's serum
45 cholesterol. This leads to the development of
46 atherosclerosis. Our data show that an additional direct
47 pathway exists as well. In contrast to a low fat breakfast
48 (cereal, skimmed milk), the high fat diet led to a 50 per
49 cent reduction in endothelial function as manifest by a
50 reduction in high blood flow dilatability (flow-mediated
51 vasoactivity) within two hours of eating. In addition to
52 initiating the atherosclerotic process, this mechanism may
53 also be responsible in part for the plaque rupture which
54 causes myocardial infarction. We have not obtained direct
55 evidence for the latter, however. This communication also
56 serves to confirm the clearly established relationship
57 between a high fat diet and coronary heart disease, the
58 number 1 source of mortality in westernized countries.
59 If I can provide you with additional information,
60 please do not hesitate to contact me." It is signed
