Day 299 - 13 Nov 96 - Page 02

     
     1                                 Wednesday, 13th November, 1996
     2
     3   MS. STEEL:   Just before we go on to advertising, the thing
     4        about sodium...  I am sorry if I seemed a bit, I don't know
     5        -- 'cross', you described it on Friday.  Was it Friday?
     6        Monday?
     7
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Do not worry about that.
     9
    10   MS. STEEL:   I was frustrated because I did not have the book
    11        with me.  I just remembered, I could not remember what... I
    12        did not have anything with me.  But there are two things in
    13        the grey book.
    14
    15   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Which one?
    16
    17   MS. STEEL:   The number 41.  (Pause)  On page 143, it says that
    18        healthy adults maintain balance on intake as low as three
    19        to 20 millimoles per day or 460 milligrams per day, and
    20        that some healthy populations have daily intakes of less
         than 920 milligrams per day.  So, it is clear that 1,600
    22        milligrams per day cannot be what you need for health
    23        requirements.
    24
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  But they are just looking at a different
    26        aspect, because the 1,600, which is on the second page, is
    27        an RNI and the definition of RNI is what would be enough
    28        for 97 percent of the population.
    29
    30   MS. STEEL:   There is no reason why some healthy populations,
    31        that populations can have calorie intakes of less than 920
    32        milligrams if that did not...  You know, if there was a
    33        suggestion that only applied to some individuals.
    34
    35   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   We can see what the definition of RNI is.
    36        It is at the beginning of the book.  I see what it says at
    37        25, 3, 1, about healthy adults, but 97 percent of the
    38        population are not ordinary healthy adults in every way,
    39        and they clearly think that some of that 97 percent,
    40        I assume, may mean as much as 1,600.  What at the moment,
         I think, Miss Brophy has done is to say in effect that most
    42        people need far less than 1,600.  If you have 1,600, you
    43        will have enough for 97 percent of the population, which
    44        really means that you do not need to go above that at all.
    45
    46   MS. STEEL:   It is certainly a maximum, in her view.  I mean,
    47        the other thing is that the World Health Organisation do
    48        say, they have set an upper limit of six grams per day,
    49        which is quite a bit more.  This is in the executive
    50        summary -- the diet, nutrition and prevention of chronic
    51        diseases.  They have got an upper limit of six grams per
    52        day, lower limit not defined.
    53
    54        The last paragraph in the section about salt says that some
    55        intake of sodium is essential to human health.
    56        Nonetheless, because all known diets have a sodium content
    57        in excess of that needed to prevent deficiency, no lower
    58        limit needs to be defined, which is what I was referring to
    59        before about the fact that there is naturally occurring
    60        salt in foodstuffs, anyway, so there is no need to add any