Epidemiology of Diseases in Relation to Consumption Pattern of Fats and Oils among Selected Adults in Coimbatore City

Progress in technological development, industrialisation and economic conditions have in addition to increasing the standard of living of people, created changes in food habits and life styles leading to health problems. The health problems that parallel economic development are largely those of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and cancer. All over the world, cardio vascular diseases (CVD) are now, recognised as one of the main causes of death in adults. Most cases of CVD result from narrowing of arteries due to fatty deposits called plaques. When a coronary artery is completely blocked, the result is a heart attack. Hyperlipidemia has been shown to be a major risk factor. Dietary excess of five specific food factors possibly implicated in hyperlipidemia are cholesterol, saturated fats, carbohydrates, total calories and alcohol. Among the dietary factors, the most important are the nature and quality of fat, type of fat and cholesterol intake.