
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 10, 1991                   TAG: 9104100207
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

NUTRITION LESSONS PAYING OFF/ DIETS MAY STILL BE HIGH IN FATS

A national survey released Tuesday found impressive gains in Americans' knowledge and attitudes about the dangers of high blood cholesterol but little resulting change in their eating habits.

Researchers called the results puzzling and said they think people are doing more to improve the way they eat than the survey suggests.

Overall, said Beth Schucker, who directed the study, two 1990 surveys by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute show that doctors and the public are becoming better informed about cholesterol and the importance of a good diet.

Other studies indicate "Americans are changing their diet and are adopting components of a heart-healthy diet," she added.

The institute's 1990 survey of the public found that 65 percent of adults reported having their blood cholesterol level tested, up from 35 percent in 1983.

In addition, 74 percent of Americans said they believed that lowering high blood cholesterol would have a large effect on coronary heart disease, up from 64 percent in 1983.

At the same time, however, just 24 percent said they were trying to lower their cholesterol through dietary changes, virtually no change from 23 percent in 1986. Two percent were taking drugs to lower cholesterol, up from 1 percent in 1983.

Dr. James Cleeman, coordinator of the institute's National Cholesterol Education Program, agreed with Schucker that the survey understates what Americans are doing to improve their diets. Many people may be eating better without thinking of it as an effort to reduce their cholesterol levels, he said.

He added that more than 50 percent of those surveyed by the Food and Drug Administration in 1988 reported they had reduced their consumption of dietary fats. He also pointed to the institute's 1990 survey of physicians, in which 69 percent reported changing their diet to control cholesterol.

The physicians' survey showed doctors are placing growing importance on lowering cholesterol levels to reduce coronary heart disease.

However, Cleeman noted that 20 percent of doctors still wait until cholesterol levels are higher than recommended to begin treatment. And one-fourth do not follow guidelines to stress cholesterol-lowering efforts with patients who have had a heart attack.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance in the blood that, depending upon the fatty proteins attached to it, can contribute to heart and blood vessel disease.

by CNB