Day 031 - 05 Oct 94 - Page 45
1 A. Put it this way, that if you have clear mechanisms
2 such as you have in terms of plate let adhesion to the
3 blood vessel walls, that you know are influenced and you
4 can demonstrate are influenced by diet, then it helps you
5 to understand why a diet that is high in fat, particularly
6 saturated fats, could cause a thrombos that would block
7 the blood flow to the heart.
8
9 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Where are you going on this, from your point
10 of view?
11
12 MR. MORRIS: I have moved on really. I wanted to know the role
13 of plausible biological mechanisms, because Professor
14 Crawford did put a particular one in earlier on to show
15 how, as I understood it, the link between diet and cancer
16 and heart disease could be plausibly biologically linked;
17 is that correct?
18 A. Yes.
19
20 Q. Would you like to ask a question on that?
21
22 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No, no.
23
24 MR. MORRIS: Just moving on to the recommendations on dietary
25 percentages of energy as fat.
26 A. Yes.
27
28 Q. This goes to both heart disease and cancer. I do not
29 think there is a strict percentage on fat levels in terms
30 of cancer at the moment in this country, is there?
31 A. I do not think our government has come up with any
32 numbers on that yet, but you will have discussed that with
33 Geoffrey Cannon, I am sure.
34
35 Q. I cannot remember now.
36
37 MR. JUSTICE BELL: We have been through with more than one
38 witness in relation to that.
39 A. Yes..
40
41 MR. MORRIS: But in terms of the World Health Organisation
42 figures which, I believe, are 30 per cent and up to
43 10 per cent saturated fat?
44 A. Yes.
45
46 Q. And I think American figures are 30 per cent and
47 10 per cent?
48 A. Yes.
49
50 Q. And for Britain, in terms of heart disease, I believe it
51 is 35 per cent and 15 per cent; am I wrong on that?
52 A. Well, it depends on which report you read. My
53 recollection is that I thought they were down to
54 10 per cent, but I would not like to be quoted on this.
55 I am sure you have had this evidence before.
56
57 Q. But what I was going to ask you is, do you feel those are
58 cautious figures? Would you like to see them reduced
59 further?
60 A. I think if one looks at the 30 per cent, 10 per cent
