Day 252 - 20 May 96 - Page 43
1 MS. STEEL: There was in the bold part?
2 A. At the bottom of page 8.
3
4 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Page 8?
5 A. Yes.
6
7 MS. STEEL: That is, obviously as it says there, the maximum?
8 A. No, that is the average. What they are really saying
9 is that some people can have a little bit more and some
10 people can have a little bit less.
11
12 Q. Right, but "the average contribution be reduced to no more
13 than 10 percent"?
14 A. Yes. This would be ideally can be achieved.
15
16 Q. Right, so the idea is to get less than 10 percent?
17 A. No, the ideal at the moment is to achieve an average of
18 10 per cent at the moment.
19
20 Q. Right at the moment because that is based on practical
21 difficulties because of the type of the food that we eat?
22 A. Yes, and our current state of knowledge, who knows,
23 next time around it may go up or it may go down. There is
24 no way of predicting it.
25
26 Q. On page 10, section 2.5, Summary, this is about total fat:
27
28 "It has been argued that the recommended reduction in
29 saturates could be offset without disadvantage by a
30 similar increase in monounsaturates, thus leaving total fat
31 unchanged. In respect of plasma cholesterol, it seems
32 likely that increasing monounsaturate intake would have no
33 adverse effect. However, there is epidemiological evidence
34 for an association between intake of total fat as well of
35 saturated fats and CHD mortality. Although the proven
36 association between consumption of saturates and plasma
37 cholesterol can largely account for that association, an
38 additional, independent effect of total fat on CHD risk
39 cannot be ruled out. There are a number of reasons why
40 unrestricted intake of total fat may be undesirable
41 although the evidence for this is not as strong as this for
42 the effect of saturated fatty acids. There is mounting
43 evidence that a higher proportion of energy as fat,
44 irrespective of its composition, predisposes to positive
45 energy balance and hence obesity.
46 There is also some evidence that it may, irrespective of
47 the composition, increase the tendency for blood to clot.
48 Some studies have also found an association between total
49 fat intake and the development of certain cancers, although
50 this remains controversial. In contrast, there is no
51 evidence that moderate reduction of fat intakes is
52 associated with ill effects. There are insufficient data to
53 identify 'optimum' level of fat in the diet, though levels
54 less than 10 percent have been achieved in some
55 circumstances with evidence of benefit. In the UK, general
56 reduction in total fat intake would also be expected to
57 reduce intake of saturates. We, therefore, considered it
58 prudent to recommend specific reduction in total fat
59 consumption. The present average proportion of energy
60 derived from total fat is about 40 per cent. We recommend
