Day 254 - 22 May 96 - Page 66
1 dissuade them from doing this because it is certainly not
2 going to do them any harm and it may be potentially
3 beneficial to them.
4
5 MR. MORRIS: Do you happen to know, we have had evidence already
6 in this case, we have had a chart which has been presented
7 to us from the COMA Report saying Greece is the country
8 with the second highest incidence of stroke mortality in
9 the European community. Does that surprise you?
10 A. I am afraid this is not my field, I cannot comment on
11 it.
12
13 Q. OK. It is on that chart. Is there any internationally
14 respected authoritative body which has issued public
15 retraction of any position it had up to two years ago since
16 saying that has changed its mind over the dietary risks
17 associated with cancer?
18 A. Any public body?
19
20 Q. Yes. You said there is a shift in the consensus or medical
21 opinion. Has any body, respected body, preferably an
22 internationally respected body, issued a public statement
23 saying, 'We got it wrong in 1993 or 1991, we take the
24 position so that McDonald's does now'?
25 A. No. Most bodies which are going to give
26 recommendations to populations are not going to shift away
27 from what is good, physicianal advice to people. The
28 uncertainties that I have described is occurring in the
29 scientific and medical community where, as further research
30 is being carried out and where people are looking in more
31 detail at the apparent associations which exist, they are
32 being unable to confirm exactly what these associations
33 are. As we can see in the populations studies, if you look
34 at them it would appear that there would be an obvious
35 association but it is not easy to prove what the
36 association is.
37
38 Q. Is the answer to my question, no, you cannot name a single
39 international or even national authoritative body who have
40 shifted their opinion in the last two years?
41 A. No.
42
43 Q. Right. You said the incidence of breast and colorectal
44 cancer in Spain and Greece is lower -- did you say that --
45 than other countries in Europe?
46 A. Yes.
47
48 Q. Do you know by how much lower?
49 A. No. I would have to go to the exact data to give you
50 those figures but it is generally accepted that the
51 incidence is lower in Greece and Spain than other European
52 community countries.
53
54 Q. You do not know by how much?
55 A. Not off the top of my head, no.
56
57 Q. It could be 90 per cent of the rate or two per cent of the
58 rate?
59 A. I do not know.
60
