Day 033 - 10 Oct 94 - Page 55
1 (Short Adjournment)
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It is just a matter of precision. If you
4 are saying "it is believed that" it could be a limited
5 number of researchers who believe that or who, rather,
6 have promulgated that theory. One does not judge things
7 by counting heads; one would have to look at, if need be,
8 the strength of the argument or it could mean it is
9 generally believed. What did you mean in that context?
10 A. In my reading of the literature both on the
11 epidemiology of prostate cancer and in the effects of diet
12 on testosterone levels, it does seem to be generally
13 believed by the authors of research reports that a high
14 fat diet does elevate testosterone levels which, in turn,
15 is very likely to be the reason why high fat diets are
16 associated with a high prevalence of prostate cancer.
17
18 MR. MORRIS: Maybe when you use the phrase "it is believed
19 that" as we go along we can say who exactly believed.
20 Moving on to colon cancer, I am not sure if it is needed
21 to -- I think you have dealt with the next paragraph.
22 Yes, Professor Keen's point on not showing whether it was
23 the high fat or the low fibre in the diet that was the
24 causation, the point you have made there, would you like
25 to say something about that?
26 A. My reading of Dr. Keen's statement was that diets that
27 are very low in fibre are implicated in the causation of
28 diabetes.
29
30 Q. Inversely?
31 A. A fibre depleted diet, I mean a diet that is very low
32 in fibre may encourage the development of diabetes. If
33 that is true, then that would be quite a valid criticism
34 of meat and dairy products and food products that rely on
35 meat and dairy or on products that rely on refined grains
36 where the fibre is extracted and removed. So, in other
37 words, this would again establish a causal link between
38 the low fibre diet and the causation of diabetes.
39
40 Q. One thing I was going to ask you earlier, but I might as
41 well do it now, you made a point somewhere in your first
42 statement about a high fat diet -- I cannot remember
43 exactly -- being habitual?
44 A. Yes.
45
46 Q. Would you like to explain that point?
47 A. It is common experience, which has been confirmed by
48 research reports, that not only does a person's diet tend
49 to remain fairly constant over time, but that high fat
50 foods, if they are associated with happy family events,
51 happy family gatherings or other rewarding circumstances,
52 that fatty foods can be habituating. I do not mean to say
53 they are physically addicting, but simply that they tend
54 to become part of the diet and to stay in the diet. The
55 implication would be that were children never to have
56 exposure to high fat food, they may not develop a taste
57 for them.
58
59 Q. So, when you say people acquire a taste for that kind of
60 food?
