Day 256 - 04 Jun 96 - Page 12

     
     1        susceptible?
     2        A.  Yes; primarily, that is right.
     3
     4   MR. MORRIS:  Is there or is there not a general risk for the
     5        whole population consuming this kind of diet?
     6        A.  Yes, there is.  When you say "general risk", if we
     7        elaborate on that for a moment, I am referring now to more
     8        than just cancer and more than just heart disease; that,
     9        even for those individuals who are not in a sense at
    10        particular risk, as we tend to understand "risk", when
    11        these individuals consume those kinds of diets, there is a
    12        whole host of adverse outcomes that can occur; and some of
    13        them are obviously, perhaps, somewhat less problematic for
    14        those who are healthiest and at least risk; but,
    15        nonetheless, if there is, in effect, a consumption of these
    16        foods, these kinds of nutrients, it will be always an
    17        increased risk; it will not be a decreased risk for these
    18        kinds of diseases - if that is what you mean by "general
    19        risk".
    20
    Q.   We quoted before from the -- this is a little bit unclear
    22        and my questions were very poor -- in the executive summary
    23        of the World Health Organisation report, Diet, Nutrition
    24        and Prevention of Chronic Diseases, it says on page (iii):
    25
    26        "The report is explicit in its insistence on the need for a
    27        population-wide, as opposed to individualised, approach to
    28        the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases, arguing
    29        that the entire population of most affluent countries shows
    30        a high risk profile."
    31
    32        Would you agree with that?
    33        A.  Yes.
    34
    35   Q.   So, how do the people who are particularly vulnerable fit
    36        into that?
    37        A.  Well, perhaps the best way -----
    38
    39   Q.   Bearing in mind that of the whole population, the most
    40        affluent countries has a high risk profile?
         A.  Perhaps the best way to answer that is to point out
    42        that in the neighbourhood of 60 to 75 per cent of deaths
    43        occurring in countries such as the UK and the US, deaths
    44        occurring prematurely, are these kinds of diseases.  So
    45        that is a very large proportion of the total population,
    46        very clearly; and these are the kind of diseases that
    47        respond to diet.
    48
    49   Q.   You talked about "premature mortality".  Can you just
    50        explain what you mean by "premature mortality"? 
    51        A.  Well, it is a somewhat arbitrary point; I mean, an 
    52        arbitrary cut-off point, if you will, as to determine what 
    53        is premature and what is not.  But I consider that
    54        virtually any deaths from these diseases occurring, let us
    55        say, before the age of 85 to 90 as being somewhat
    56        premature.  Some would establish that number perhaps around
    57        75 to 80, but I think there is a general consensus that we
    58        ought to be able to enjoy a fairly healthy life without
    59        these diseases up until the ages of 80 to 85 or 90 or so,
    60        if in fact we did things properly.