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14
Coronary disease
I have from time to time in previous reports referred at considerable
length to this condition. Active research is progressing and increasing,
particularly with regard to the dietary factor, although it is still true
to say that results have not yet reached the stage when dogmatic advice
can be given with regard to specific articles of dietary. Nevertheless,
for those adults who are prepared to alter their dietary legime on a
likely possibility rather than a scientific probability, advice which could
be given at this stage would amount to this: eat sparingly, cut down
fats particularly, look askance at foodstuffs with a high cholesterol content—brains,
egg yolk, kidneys, butter—prefer vegetable and fish oil
to animal fat, and take regular exercise. This is simple advice, easy to
follow, and unlikely to do any harm; and it is advice which quite possibly
might do a lot of good. There are, almost inevitably, "savings"
and "provisos" even to these simple rules but the only one of note
here is in relation to vegetable fat: coconut oil is under some suspicion,
while peanut oil is probably advantageous. For cooking and frying
purposes there are now excellent vegetable oils on the market.
The following table brings the Lewisham figures of mortality from
heart disease up to date.

? means figure not available. *R.G. Code Nos. 19 and 20. †R.G.Code No. 21