Nutrition, lipids, and cardiovascular disease.

The evolving epidemic of cardiovascular disease in many newly industrialized societies will bankrupt their health care systems and reduce the available resources for other health priorities. Therefore, the prevention of this epidemic, or at least slowing the increase, is of the highest priority. The development of coronary heart disease (CHD) is an example of a common source epidemic due to increased consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol, low intakes of polyunsaturated fat, and increasing obesity. Hypertension, cigarette smoking, and diabetes mellitus contribute to risk of disease. The prevention of atherosclerosis beginning in young adults is of paramount importance. Careful monitoring of the evolving epidemic of CHD, including noninvasive evaluation of atherosclerosis, is important. A high-risk approach is very successful but expensive.