New thinking about diet and cardiovascular disease

The UK has one of the highest CVD rates in Western Europe, with over one-third of deaths attributable to this condition. This article looks at how several of the risk factors for CVD, including some newly-identified ones, may be reduced by dietary interventions. It considers the part played by dietary cholesterol, fats and oily fish and summarises practical nutritional advice for health professionals to give their clients. The association between nutritional and genetic factors is briefly discussed, and the forecast that in the future it may be possible to tailor dietary advice on preventing CVD more precisely to the individual's particular risk profile.