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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 would perhaps
be true to say that results have not yet reached the stage when any
dogmatic advice can be given with regard to specific articles of dietary.
Nevertheless, for those adults who are prepared to alter their dietary
regime 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.
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.