Relations between Diet and Atherosclerosis among a Working Population of Different Ethnic Origins

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Abstract
Data on the caloric and fat intake of an unselected working population are presented. Of the two main ethnic groups studied, those of Italian and Jewish extraction had similar caloric and total fat intakes; the intake of fat from animal sources was somewhat higher among the Jews. Fat intake was related to the frequency of aortic atherosclerosis in men but not in women. The data were insufficient to relate coronary artery disease and fat intake. However, in a larger group of men than the one for whom dietary histories were available, the frequency of manifest coronary artery disease was more than twice as frequent among Jews as among Italians, despite the fact that both groups appeared to eat similarly in terms of total fat. This, in conjunction with the finding that Jews also had a higher prevalence of hypercholesteremia, suggests that dietary factors alone are iunadeqate to explain the predisposition of Jews towards both hypercholesteremia and coronary athelroscerosis. Obesity per se did not appear to predispose to coronary or aortic atherosclerosis. Men but not women on a high fat diet showed higher serum cholesterol levels. Some aspects of the relation between diet and atherosclerosis are discussed.