Day 269 - 25 Jun 96 - Page 90
1 low in alcohol and salt and pickled foods is consistent
2 with a low risk of many of the current major cancers
3 including cancer of the colon, prostate, breast, stomach,
4 lung and oesophagus." Would you agree with that?
5 A. Yes, I agree with that. I think that there is missing
6 from that statement the inclusion of the protective nature
7 of fish and seafoods.
8
9 Q. Right. OK. And the last point in the WHO pamphlet, the
10 conclusion of the entire report is on page 157.
11 A. Now, that is interesting I have page 155, and then I go
12 to page 170. I do not have that page.
13
14 Q. I do not know why that should happen. If I just read out
15 one sentence I am sure--
16 A. You can read out the sentence, yes.
17
18 Q. This is first sentence of one collusion of WHO organisation
19 report 1990: "Dietary factors are now known," and I
20 emphasize known, "to influence the development," and I
21 emphasize development?
22 A. Yes.
23
24 Q. "Of a wide range of chronic diseases, eg coronary heart
25 disease, various cancers, hypertension, cerebrovascular
26 disease and diabetes"?
27 A. Yes.
28
29 Q. Would you accept that?
30 A. Yes.
31
32 Q. Does that indicate to you, or not indicate to you that this
33 report is convinced of the causal relationship between diet
34 and cancer?
35 A. I would accept that.
36
37 Q. Right.
38 A. I think that what matters is that at the end of the
39 day, you come up with a report which is reflecting the view
40 of the Committee that you are on, and that it has some
41 meaning in terms of both your recognition of causality in
42 the broadest sense of the word and what is needed by the
43 population to respond to the evidence of that causality.
44 There is no point in make recommendations for people to
45 reduce this, that and the next thing, unless you have some
46 conviction about the causal nature of that, or the other
47 thing, to the problem in hand.
48
49 Q. One thing. You remember -- sorry. If you remember you
50 commented on the Richard Dhol editorial?
51 A. Yes.
52
53 Q. You referred to from 1981, I think. Something like that?
54 A. 1960's; I cannot remember the date. Very early.
55
56 Q. You said something like that he was confining himself to
57 the prospective studies and on that basis you would
58 agreement. He said something like: "The emphasis is
59 however inconclusive, insofar as it varies in strength, the
60 strongest is that obtained from studies of individuals
