A Controlled Clinical Trial of a Diet High in Unsaturated Fat in Preventing Complications of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

This report describes a clinical trial, with domiciled male veterans, designed to determine whether a diet which lowers serum cholesterol concentration can prevent overt complications of coronary heart disease and other manifestations of atherosclerosis. Volunteers were allocated randomly to control and experimental groups. Participants numbered 422 in the control group and 424 in the experimental group. The two groups were indistinguishable at the outset of the study in almost all observations. These included age, racial characteristics, and religious affiliation; height, weight, and blood pressure; electrocardiographic findings; prevalence of pre-existing anginal syndrome, myocardial infarction, peripheral atherosclerosis, cerebral ischemia, or cerebral infarction; cardiac decompensation; utilization of relevant medications; serum cholesterol and serum total lipid levels; and prevalence of corneal arcus and xanthelasma. One significant difference between the groups in regard to a possibly influential ch...