Written question asked by Mike Hancock (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 24 February 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 11 March 2004. It was answered by Melanie Johnson (Labour) on Thursday, 11 March 2004 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on low fat diets free from animal products.

Answer: Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on low fat diets free from animal products. [156810] Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department has not commissioned or evaluated research on low fat diets free from animal products. The Oxford cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford) has been supported by Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and the Europe Against Cancer Programme of the Commission of the European Community. Findings from EPIC- Oxford data have shown that diets free from animal products are associated with lower levels of obesity than diets which include meat. The Medical Research Council spent £17.1 million in 2001-02 on nutrition research.

Secondary information