02/08/96 Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary Heart Disease

CHICAGO, February 8, 1996

Poor nutritional habits cost Americans health and wealth

Tens of thousands of cases of coronary heart disease could be prevented and billions of dollars in related costs could be saved through interventions to help Americans reduce intake of saturated fat, according to a study published in February 1996 in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association (JADA).

The Economic analysis used data from a variety of sources, including the Framingham Heart Study and National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, to estimate the effects of intervention on CHD incidence. In addition, it analyzed the cost savings associated with reducing saturated fat intake by as little as one to three percentage points of the total diet. The study found that if Americans reduced saturated fat intake from current levels to nine percent of total energy, about 100,000 first-time coronary events could be averted by the year 2005, with associated cost savings of approximately $13 billion.

"For years, public and private health and medical organizations have recommended that American follow a low-fat, low-calorie diet as part of a healthful lifestyle," said David Thompson, Ph.D., senior economist at Policy Analysis, Inc., Brookline, Mass., and co-author of the JADA study. "But the nutrition community and policy makers have had a difficult time translating the health benefits of low-fat eating into economic benefits for individuals, insurers, and society as a whole."

The study determined CHD risk for population subgroups defined according to age, gender, and cholesterol levels. It also reviewed estimates of annual medical care expenditures and earnings losses associated with alternative manifestations of CHD, such as sudden death and myocardial infarction. The study used existing scientific data on benefits of cholesterol reduction and updated earlier disease costs estimates from 1980 to 1993 levels, using the medical care component of the Consumer Price Index.

Based on these figures the authors conclude that, in the absence of direct intervention to reduce coronary risk factors--such as high levels of saturated fat intake--three million Americans between the ages of 35 and 64 years of age who are currently free of CHD, will develop the disease in the next ten years.

"Our cost-savings figures probably underestimate the full economic benefits of reducing dietary fat intake," said Thompson. "Our figures relate only to adults who are currently disease free, and we focused attention on coronary heart disease--even though reducing fat intake has been linked to reductions in the incidence of certain cancers as well."

"We know that patients are more successful in achieving desired diet goals and improving their health when they have interaction with, and guidance from, registered dietitians," said Doris Derelian, Ph.D., R.D., president of the 67,400-member ADA. "This study is important because it demonstrates what many health professional have known for years, that interventions like comprehensive nutrition services are cost-effective forms of disease prevention and treatment."

In more than 2,400 patient case studies, representative of various disease states and conditions, ADA has demonstrated that nutrition intervention involving a registered dietitian saves, on average, $8,000 per patient. And, a growing body of scientific research suggests that dietary intervention, often thousands of dollars cheaper that high-tech surgeries and treatments, can prevent the manifestation of nutrition-related diseases. The Journal of the American Dietetic Association is the most widely read, peer-reviewed periodical in the dietetics field. Published monthly, it brings original research, critical reviews and reports, authoritative information and expert commentary to nutrition and other medical professionals throughout the world.

The Chicago-based American Dietetic Association is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being.

Highlighted JADA study: Oster, G., Thompson, D., Estimated effects of reducing dietary saturated fat intake on the incidence and costs of coronary heart disease in the United States, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, February 1996, Volume 96, Number 2, pages 127-131.