Day 266 - 20 Jun 96 - Page 30


     
     1   Q.   Let me explain what I am suggesting to you and then you can
     2        comment.  You yourself have said, which I must say I
     3        entirely agree with, that the consideration of the
     4        relationship between diet and health is multifactorial?
     5        A.   Multifactorial in terms of nutrients of the foods
     6        involved, and the ones that have been mentioned are the
     7        ones that I would include in that multifactorial situation.
     8
     9   Q.   There are lots of things which are not related to diet at
    10        all.  There is the degree of physical exercise, whether
    11        people smoke, and if you exclude alcohol from diet there is
    12        the amount of alcohol they drink.  Those are just 3 topics
    13        which are not related in any sense to diet and they all
    14        have to be taken into account, do they not?
    15        A.   If you asking me a question I am not sure what
    16        question you are asking me.
    17
    18   Q.   You have to take into account when assessing the
    19        relationship between diet and health not only the factors
    20        within diet but also factors which are not concerned with
    21        diet at all, which have to do with lifestyle?
    22        A.   My job in the health promotion department that I work
    23        in is, at the moment, you know, jobs do change, my job is
    24        to look at exercise and diet and alcohol, and there is
    25        another part of my job that is not covered at the moment
    26        due to a vacant post, which is looking at other factors in
    27        coronary heart disease as well.  Yes, I am very much aware
    28        of that, working within the health department we are
    29        looking at all factors that relate to health.
    30
    31             But the particular role I have at the moment, because
    32        of the qualifications and experience I have, is to look at
    33        diet and I am here to answer question on diet.  If you want
    34        to ask me anything about exercise I would be happy to
    35        answer that, but it was not my understanding that I was
    36        here to answer questions about exercise.
    37
    38   Q.   Do not worry.
    39
    40   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No.  If you are asked a question even though
    41        it is not in your immediate speciality if you think you can
    42        give an answer do so.  If on the other hand you think you
    43        do not because you do not consider yourself an expert in
    44        that part of the broad field, then do not hesitate to say
    45        so.
    46        A.   I feel I have the knowledge of the other factors that
    47        relate to health and disease if you want to ask me any
    48        specific questions about that, and it is currently my role
    49        to promote exercise as a health promoting activity.
    50
    51   Q.   I am only proposing this in the hope that you might agree
    52        with it, that when you are considering the relationship 
    53        between diet and health it is no good focusing on one
    54        particular element in the diet, and it is no good focusing
    55        on diet alone, what you have to consider are all the
    56        factors that make up diet and where the diet fits into the
    57        lifestyle of the population in question?
    58        A.  That is absolutely true.  When you are looking at
    59        promoting health you need to look at diet and you need to
    60        look at exercise.  For example, if somebody had a poor

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