A Critique of the Evidence Relating Diet and Coronary Heart Disease
Abstract
It may be useful for me to review the problem of coronary heart disease (CHD) from the special viewpoint of a nutritionist. While this view may have some prejudice it seems relevant because of the frequent association of diet with CHD and the widespread lay interest in the problem. Coronary heart disease may seem to have risen like an epidemic among us. It is a complicated task to determine whether this rise to prominence is real or only made apparent by changing techniques. It would be an interesting task for someone to relate the time course of the prevalence of CHD to the marketing of electrocardiographs. To my knowledge this has not been done. One might have expected a rise of CHD when the ECG became available for diagnosis. Dr. Lew of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company has shown a remarkable explanation for the distribution by states of coronary heart disease in the United States (1)(2), (Fig. I and II). It must be clear that we see what we look for. A more subtle influence is that of "competing causes" (3). Even when age specific rates are considered we may be baffled in understanding the entire effect of the removal of diseases which typically kill at an earlier age than does coronary heart disease,
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1963
- Accession Number
- ADP014624
Entities
People
- George V. Mann
Organizations
- Vanderbilt University