Diet-Heart: End of an Era

Abstract

A GENERATION of research on the diet-heart question has ended in disarray. The official line since 1950 for management of the epidemic of coronary heart disease has been a dietary treatment. Foundations, scientists and the media, both lay and scientific, have promoted low fat, low cholesterol, polyunsaturated diets, and yet the epidemic continues unabated, cholesteremia in the population is unchanged, and clinicians are unconvinced of efficacy. An editorial appeared in these pages a few months ago with the plaintive title, "Needed: New therapy for hypercholesterolemia."1 Eminent cardiologists began an essay on the subject with the thoughtful title, "Prevention of Heart . . .