Day 253 - 21 May 96 - Page 12
1 something. They die less of coronary heart disease, and we
2 think we may have an explanation for that.
3
4 Q. What I am saying is, if, as I believe everyone has
5 accepted, that coronary heart disease is a very substantial
6 concern and health risk?
7 A. A major cause of death.
8
9 Q. Major cause of death, and that Governments are attempting
10 to influence dietary patterns in order to reduce?
11 A. Yes.
12
13 Q. That risk, does the fact that whether it is 300 people per
14 100,000 or 7 per 100,000, does that mean that, therefore,
15 the French Government Authorities and health professionals
16 can be complacent and say: "We do not have a coronary
17 heart disease problem in this country"?
18 A. I doubt very much if the French authorities think like
19 that at all. I have no doubt they would like to reduce the
20 incidence of heart disease, stroke and other degenerative
21 diseases within the population. It certainly does not give
22 me any satisfaction. I mean, obviously, I would like to
23 see values for all countries being reduced.
24
25 Q. Right. I note the stroke rate for France are -- they have
26 been coming down actually, according to the list on page
27 53: 125 per 100,000 in 1970 coming down to about 80 per
28 100,000 in the middle of the year, whenever that last year
29 would be. I think we can move on from that.
30
31 I am just trying to understand this chart.
32
33 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Your question started with asking a proportion
34 is more and it looks as if the rate in the United Kingdom
35 is approximately 4 times that in France falling to about
36 just over 3 times that, so far as coronary heart disease is
37 concerned. The difference between stroke mortality in
38 France and the United Kingdom is very little, is quite
39 small.
40
41 MR. MORRIS: Yes.
42
43 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Did you have a question about that? So it is
44 the left hand page which is the French paradox?
45
46 MR. MORRIS: I see what you mean, yes. The so-called paradox,
47 though, does not apply to stroke where the incidence is
48 very similar in France and the United Kingdom?
49 A. Yes.
50
51 Q. Yes. In fact, on page... No, I will leave it at that,
52 I think. I will move on from that point. There is very
53 little else we have got. Helen has a few questions as
54 well. Does obesity as a health problem take a period to
55 develop; I mean, can it develop over a year, does it take
56 ten, 15 years to develop?
57 A. I would say in my own report that it was an insidious
58 thing, it is something that creeps up on you gradually, but
59 it does not take all that long. I think if one looks at
60 heights and weights of people as reported by the Department
