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

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