Day 035 - 12 Oct 94 - Page 71
1
2 THE WITNESS: Thank you.
3
4 MR. RAMPTON: It says: "Getting prevention in proportion. We
5 do not know how to prevent some cancers largely because we
6 do not know what causes them. Some causes such as smoking
7 are known; others such as diet are suspected but not
8 proved. So what proportion of cancer deaths do we
9 suspect", in italics, "are caused by things mentioned in
10 the book", in this book, "and what proportion do we know
11 are preventable".
12
13 Then you see in the right-hand side in the graphic and you
14 see the graph is based on information derived from Doll
15 and Peto, The Causes of Cancer: "Percentage of cancer
16 deaths"; black is definitely preventable in your copy,
17 Dr. Barnard; grey is possibly preventable cancer
18 deaths. "This gives an idea of what experts believe may
19 prove to be preventable causes of cancer in the future".
20
21 We have two per cent, if I am right, roughly two per cent
22 in black and the rest for food up to 35 per cent is grey.
23 Now, contrast that, if you will, with your statement on
24 that television programme that between 35 and 50 per cent
25 of cancers are due to diet. What response do you make to
26 this document?
27 A. In this document they are implying that there is a
28 link which may be causal, which would have to be, if
29 things are theoretically preventable, one has to talk
30 about cause-and-effect or otherwise there is no
31 possibility for prevention, but that has only been
32 definitely proven for a small number -- I do not know.
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34 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No. The explanation of that, so that you
35 understand by a previous witness, is that there is
36 something like the Japanese who eat a certain kind of fish
37 and there is a high incidence of cancer of the
38 oesophagus. So it is very particular special cases like
39 that of about two per cent.
40
41 MR. MORRIS: That was one interpretation. That was not my
42 interpretation. Firstly, I did not know whether this
43 represented a chart for UK; secondly, I do not think the
44 Japanese who eat that particular thing can be responsible
45 for three per cent of all cancer deaths in the world.
46
47 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That was an example of it -- you may
48 disagree with it -- I am trying to fill you in on some
49 evidence we have heard, so far.
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51 MR. RAMPTON: Yes. There were two examples given, one is in
52 the text of this document which is Japanese people eating
53 bracken shoots as a known carcinogen, and the other was
54 aflatoxins found in certain kinds of fungus on bread. You
55 recognise both those cases, I expect, do you?
56 A. Yes. However, I do not know if you are getting an
57 opportunity to speak with Colin Campbell or hear evidence
58 from him but, as you will hear from him, aflatoxin
59 toxicity is thought to be very strongly affected by the
60 content to which animal products are included in the diet
