Relationship Between Fat, Cholesterol and Coronary Heart Disease

In order to evaluate the relationship between dietary fats and cholesterol with the incidence of heart disease and the potential for heart disease risk reduction, one must recognize the enormous impact of cardiovascular disease on the health of the population. In the United States, cardiovascular disease afflicts over 65 million individuals and accounts for almost one million deaths each year. Diseases of the heart and blood vessels are the single largest cause of mortality in this country, a finding also true for almost every industrialized country in the world. It has been estimated that in this country there is one death from cardiovascular diseases every 32 seconds. The estimated cost of this epidemic is roughly 83 billion dollars each year in medical costs and lost productivity. Obviously, as with any epidemic of such magnitude, it is essential that the medical community define the risk factors involved in cardiovascular disease incidence and initiate prevention programs to reduce disease incidence.