Day 266 - 20 Jun 96 - Page 18
1 summaries as matter of course in my job, yes.
2
3 Q. Right. You might not be able to recite the exact figures?
4 A. That is right.
5
6 Q. But in terms of the kind of difference that could be made
7 by cutting the sodium in the diet and the reduction in
8 heart disease would you agree with what is written there,
9 that it would be basically a substantial reduction, there
10 could be a substantial reduction, in mortality?
11 A. That paper is quite an important paper that has come
12 out. I believe it received quite a bit of publicity. The
13 reason it is important is because of the number of
14 countries involved to produce the evidence, 32 countries
15 worldwide. So, it is a big study looking at evidence from
16 lots and lots of different populations but the change in it
17 is that some people used to say that reducing salt would
18 only help some parts of the population whereas this study
19 is saying that a reduction in salt would be beneficial to
20 the whole population and therefore--
21
22 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Which is the study?
23 A. This study referred to in the BMJ.
24
25 MR. MORRIS: The intersalt study.
26
27 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I cannot read the letter. Is it a 3? I am
28 on page 1285.
29 A. Yes, and I am looking at the two bits just referred
30 to, the paragraph starting at the conclusion, page 1,252.
31 That paragraph was read out. That bottom paragraph, there.
32
33 MR. MORRIS: There is a little figure after 'heart disease'
34 which is an 8.
35
36 MS. STEEL: Yes, this part is actually from a different study
37 but in terms of the--
38
39 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Is it not a 3, and that is the reference back
40 to the paper which started on 1259, the intersalt?
41
42 MR. MORRIS: I think it is an 8, but it could be a 3.
43
44 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Well, as a 1 and then a 3.
45
46 MS. STEEL: I see, yes.
47
48 MR. MORRIS: Yes, that is true.
49
50 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That is below, and 3 is the 'intersalt
51 revisited', the association with a difference in the
52 incidence of stroke.
53
54 MS. STEEL: The reference for the 34 per cent and the 21 per
55 cent is 8, which is McMann and Peto, blood pressure and
56 coronary heart disease.
57
58 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. Now what I was wanting to establish is
59 which are you saying is the significant study? It is one
60 which is the third reference, 'Elliott and others,
