Day 036 - 13 Oct 94 - Page 48
1 A. Sorry. From that point going down to the seventh line
2 of that paragraph is a summary statement that is worth
3 taking note of; it says: "With nutrients expressed as a
4 percentage of total calorie intake, our data show quite
5 clearly that a reduction in the consumption of total fat
6 to less than 30 per cent, of saturated fat to less than 10
7 per cent, or of animal proteins to less than 6 per cent
8 may be strongly protective against breast cancer."
9
10 If I may finish with this by simply turning to the next
11 page; the third full paragraph there is a paragraph that
12 begins with the words "Our study was based".
13
14 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
15 A. The third full paragraph says: "Our study was based".
16 I will read that paragraph, if I may: "Our study was
17 based on the assumption that a large variability in
18 dietary intakes existed in the population under study. An
19 absence of sufficient variation in nutrient intakes could
20 lead to a lack of evidence for association with breast
21 cancer. A comparison with the prospective data of Willett
22 et al shows that our premises may have been correct. With
23 total fat expressed as a percentage of calories, American
24 nurses" -- referring here to the Willett study -- "had a
25 mean contribution to total calories from fat of 44 per
26 cent in the highest quintile and of 32 per cent in the
27 lowest quintile. The corresponding figures for women in
28 Vercelli" -- the current study -- "were 46 per cent and 26
29 per cent respectively".
30
31 So, in summary in this study (which followed on the heels
32 of Willett's first report) they simply identified a
33 population with a slightly wider fat intake, found a
34 significant relationship with breast cancer, and even when
35 controlling for the confounders that we have discussed
36 today, that relationship remained -- that relationship
37 persisted; and the language in which it is described it is
38 not simply described on page 284, the second to last part
39 I read, not simply described as an association but in
40 somewhat stronger terms that their data, quite clearly,
41 show, and they say may be -- not may be protective or
42 could be protective, but may be strongly protective.
43
44 So, in my reading, they are trying to put additional
45 emphasis there, even though they are in keeping with what
46 many researchers would do and say that it may be strongly
47 protective. That was the only point I wanted to make
48 about that study.
49
50 MS. STEEL: You were asked about figures for the contribution
51 of diet to overall risk of cancer. I do not know whether
52 you have a copy of the green Diet, Nutrition and Cancer
53 book up there?
54 A. I only have a couple of pages.
55
56 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I want you to remind me where that is.
57
58 MS. STEEL: Possibly behind Cannon.
59
60 MR. MORRIS: Yes, I think it is in Mr. Cannon's list of
