BMJ  2005;331:906-907 (15 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7521.906-b

Letter

Europe in transition

Dietary fat is not the villain

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Zatonski and Willett claim that a decrease of saturated fat and an increase of polyunsaturated fat consumption explain the decrease of coronary heart disease in Poland.¹ However, ecological data are prone to bias because they are rarely, if ever, adjusted for confounders. In this case they are even contradicted by similar studies in the past. In a review including 103 time periods in 35 countries, I found that in 30 time periods an increased intake of saturated fat was followed by increased coronary mortality, but after 29 other periods with increased saturated fat consumption heart mortality was unchanged in six and decreased in 23.²

Zatonski's and Willett's statement that their finding is supported by epidemiological and clinical evidence is not true either. In a review of all cohort and case-control studies, heart patients had eaten more saturated fat than had healthy controls in three cohorts, but in one . . . [Full text of this article]

Magle Stora Kyrkogata 9, 22350 Lund, Sweden ravnskov@tele2.se

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