Day 254 - 22 May 96 - Page 61
1 one of these two would be a primary factor in the causation
2 of these cancers, or at least be a factor in their
3 development certainly. But he goes on to say in the next
4 sentence: "Prospective studies have consistently failed to
5 detect any relation between total fat intake and breast
6 cancer". His final sentence is: "Overall this leaves a
7 confused picture".
8
9 Q. Because of things such as the olive oil protective effect
10 and so on?
11 A. Which is all I am saying.
12
13 Q. Yes, but he is quite clear about the first point, that
14 basically it is one of the two which is a primary factor.
15 He is just not clear which one?
16 A. That is what he is saying.
17
18 Q. Yes. Then if you look at the protein section. In the
19 middle part it basically says that:
20
21 "In their review of diet in the etiology of human cancer
22 the European School of Oncology Task Force concluded that
23 all of the correlation between cancer risk and meat or
24 animal protein was secondary to those caused by the animal
25 fats component."
26
27 That was in 1994. It goes on to say that most other groups
28 have reached the same conclusion. Would you agree with
29 that?
30 A. Well, this is one review of your describing, which is
31 quoted in this, and what they are saying is that they
32 cannot separate out risk from animal fat and meat per se,
33 and most other groups have reached the same conclusion,
34 that they cannot separate out the effect of fat and
35 protein.
36
37 Q. No, but they are effectively saying that the effect is
38 caused by the animal fats component?
39 A. Yes. I mean, basically what they are saying is these
40 studies, which have looked at this particular problem in
41 the past, have been unable to separate out animal meat, the
42 meat aspect and the fat aspect, so we come back to the
43 question of the relative importance of fat.
44
45 Q. Well ----
46
47 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I do not understand that to be pointing the
48 finger at fat as opposed to other things. It is just when
49 you are considering protein as a factor, you cannot
50 particularly point at protein because what applies to
51 protein could apply to the animal fat in the diet as well?
52 A. Yes.
53
54 Q. But that is leaving on one side for a moment all other
55 considerations; is that right, or am I mistaken?
56 A. That is my assessment of the situation.
57
58 MS. STEEL: As I see it, it is not that it could equally apply,
59 that they find that it does, it applies to -- well, that
60 the protein thing is secondary to the animal fat component.
