Primary prevention of hypertension in Belgium--lessons from regional differences

Circumstantial evidence is provided for the influence of nutritional changes such as less salt, less saturated fat and more polyunsaturated fat on blood pressure and on mortality from stroke and stomach cancer in Belgium. Nutritional differences exist between the two major regions, the North and the South of Belgium. The South has a high intake of saturated fats whereas in the North the intake of polyunsaturated fat is higher. Probably less salt is used in the South compared to the North. The observed nutritional differences correlate well with the observed changes in mortality for stroke and stomach cancer.