Coronary-heart-disease risk-factor status of the Cretan urban population in the 1980s.

The traditional Cretan diet has been associated with low coronary-heart-disease (CHD) mortality rates. This study reports on the prevalence of CHD risk factors among 387 Cretan bank employees. Mean cholesterol concentration has risen by 36% over 26-y; dietary intake has changed: consumption of meat, fish, and cheese has increased and consumption of bread, fruit, and potatoes has decreased. Although the percentage contribution of fat to total energy intake has decreased from 40% to 36%, there has been a reduction in monounsaturated fatty acid consumption and an increase in the consumption of saturated fatty acids whereas the consumption of polyunsaturates has not been altered. Exception for diminished physical activity, the prevalence of other risk factors (smoking, blood pressure, and body mass index) remained relatively stable over this period. These changes in the CHD risk-factor status of the Cretan urban population occurred over a period in which CHD mortality rates are reported to have increased.