Day 256 - 04 Jun 96 - Page 71


     
     1        A.  Yes, I do.
     2
     3   Q.  "Saturated fatty acids and cholesterol were not essential
     4        nutrients and their importance relates directly to their
     5        effects and increasing blood cholesterol concentrations and
     6        promoting the development of coronary heart disease. As
     7        noted previously, no lower level to serum cholesterol has
     8        been identified below which a beneficial reduction in
     9        coronary heart disease cannot be expected, so national
    10        nutrition policy should seek to minimise intake of
    11        saturated fatty acids.  These fatty acids may also be
    12        specifically involved in promoting cancers, particularly of
    13        the colon and breast, although the evidence remains
    14        inconsistent.  The main justification for limiting
    15        saturated fatty acid intakes should therefore be the
    16        prevention of coronary heart disease."
    17
    18        Do you agree with that?
    19        A.  Based on the data that were available to this report at
    20        that time, yes, I do.
    21
    22   Q.   Thank you.  Perhaps you would kindly put that away now.
    23        A.  I am sorry ----
    24
    25   Q.   I am sorry, do you want to say something more?
    26        A.  Yes, I do want to say something more.  It says, in the
    27        previous sentence:
    28
    29        "Fatty acid may also be specifically involved with
    30        promoting cancer, particularly of the colon and breast,
    31        although the evidence remains inconsistent."
    32
    33        To come back to my point I made before, the inconsistency
    34        is not a mixture of pluses and minuses.  The inconsistency
    35        is a mixture of pluses and zeros.  That is a major point
    36        here.  Where as this committee chose to call that
    37        "inconsistent", I do not.  I am really quite confident, as
    38        confident as I can be about any association, that an
    39        increase fat intake will increase these cancers and I am
    40        also confident that the same committee would come to that
    41        same view if I presented that argument that way.  I do not
    42        think we are in disagreement on this.
    43
    44   Q.   Can I turn to one last thing then, please.
    45
    46   MR. MORRIS:  Sorry?
    47
    48   MR. RAMPTON:  You would expect, Professor, would you not, within
    49        countries that those countries whose populations, I am now
    50        talking about the population comparisons, consume more fat 
    51        in the diet, and specifically saturated fat, to have higher 
    52        rates of both coronary heart disease and cancer of the 
    53        breast and colon?
    54        A.  That is generally true.
    55
    56   Q.   When I say "rates", I mean rates of mortality because, as
    57        you rightly said earlier, they are much easier to measure?
    58        A.  Right but as well rates of incidence because they have
    59        been actually measured.
    60

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