Day 297 - 08 Nov 96 - Page 25
1 this contention was supported by research and accepted in
2 the medical community. That was day 33, page 8.
3
4 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Was that the same reference for everything
5 you have just said or did the first part have a separate
6 reference?
7
8 MS. STEEL: That is the same reference for all of it.
9
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
11
12 MR. MORRIS: Can I just say, while passing, that the worst
13 prognosis for people that are eating unhealthy foods, when
14 they actually have heart disease or cancer or other chronic
15 diseases, is very important because that is part of the
16 additional -- not only is the whole population at a very
17 real risk, but also some are particularly at a greater risk
18 because of their vulnerability or that they have the
19 disease and they may not know it. In fact, they are
20 probably unlikely to know it until it reaches a serious
21 stage.
22
23 And Dr. Arnott, we say, accepted the worst prognosis view
24 by the dietary recommendations he was making to his
25 patients, which include, of course, reducing the fat
26 content of their diets and increasing the fibre content of
27 their diets in order to help with their treatment.
28
29 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
30
31 MS. STEEL: Dr. Barnard agreed with the statement in the World
32 Health Organisation report that dietary factors are known
33 to influence the development of a number of diseases, and
34 he supported the use of the word "known" and indicated that
35 "suspect" would be too weak. That was day 33, page 9.
36
37 He considered that most other physicians and researchers
38 would agree with the World Health Organisation position.
39 That was day 33, page 9 as well.
40
41 He said that in America there has been concern and research
42 into the links between diet and cancer for a number of
43 years and the first official position was taken by the
44 National Research Council in 1982, which obviously is
45 several years before the date of the alleged libel. That
46 was on day 33, page 9 as well.
47
48 Dr. Barnard referred to hundreds of studies that have
49 concluded that the less fat, cholesterol, meat and dairy
50 products consumed, the lower the risk of heart disease.
51 That was day 33, page 11.
52
53 Dr. Barnard stated that dietary factors could account for
54 anywhere between 30 and 70 percent of cancers and that
55 there was a very high correlation between high fat intake
56 and cancer rates. That was day 33, page 13.
57
58 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
59
60 MS. STEEL: He outlined the epidemiological evidence that he
