Coronary heart disease: an end to the epidemic in sight?

A new report from the National Heart Forum argues that coronary heart disease could lose its position as the leading single cause of death in the UK if only knowledge we have now can be turned into effective policy action. Tackling health inequalities, largely due to relative poverty, must begin in childhood. National nutrition policies are needed to lower average blood cholesterol levels and unhealthy weight gain. Healthy choices in food and lifestyle must be available to all, not just the better off. Government strategies to tackle smoking must be matched by similar strategies for nutrition and physical activity. A failure to act, particularly to raise nutritional standards across the board, could result in an alternative scenario of huge and costly increases in the number of coronary care patients.