Day 297 - 08 Nov 96 - Page 16
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2 MR JUSTICE BELL: Forget mutated gene. Unless you have the
3 right genetic make-up, you need not worry about mutated
4 genes as if they are something quite extraordinary, we are
5 all absolutely full of them.
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7 MS. STEEL: I just think the gene issue is a bit of a red
8 herring. The point is that nobody knows what their
9 individual risk is and everybody -----
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11 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No.
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13 MS. STEEL: Everybody is potentially at risk.
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15 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That is quite right. I don't think I can get
16 involved in genetics because we just did not go into it.
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18 MS. STEEL: Dr. Arnott admitted that the dietary link may be on
19 the promotional or the progression side of the cancer
20 process. Day 22, page 40. Also, obviously, that would be
21 a causal factor. He was referred to a report by Takishi
22 Hiriama in 1978 which attributed a steady increase in
23 breast cancer mortality and morbidity rate in Japanese
24 women to the increase in dietary fat intake, and he
25 conceded that there cannot be any genetic reason for this
26 change. Day 22, page 65.
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28 Dr. Arnott, although he said that more research needed to
29 be carried out... Well, he said that more research needed
30 to be carried out and the fact that some studies have
31 indicated that there is a relationship between diet and
32 cancer cannot be ignored. That was on day 23, page 8. He
33 highlighted the well-known risk factors in relation to
34 breast cancer and stated that they may be related to diet
35 in terms of energy. I think he termed it as 'restrictions
36 on energy during childhood', but from memory I seem to
37 recall there was an argument about whether it was
38 restrictions or it just was not as excessive as the typical
39 western diet. I think that was in relation to the age at
40 menarche, and so on. That was my reference -- I am trying
41 to think back.
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43 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Is that the same reference or is that another
44 page?
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46 MS. STEEL: That was day 23, page 9. He did say that he was
47 not aware of any studies of cancer concerning lifestyle
48 that did not relate to diet. That was on day 23, page 11.
49 That was because I think I was asking him about... He was
50 talking about other lifestyle factors, and I was making the
51 point that all the studies that we are aware of that refer
52 to lifestyle were about diet rather than other lifestyle
53 factors. And within that section about what has been
54 looked at into diet he agreed that within the diet fat and
55 alcohol have been the ones that have attracted attention as
56 possible causes of cancer, and fruit, vegetables and fibre
57 as protective elements against cancer. That was day 23,
58 page 12.
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60 I think this is going back to the point four, Dr. Arnott
