Two groups of Jewish immigrants, all over 70, living side by side in Israel under similar conditions, have provided a natural testing ground to support the theory of a causal relationship between a high cholesterol animal fat diet and heart disease, the Joint Distribution Committee reported today. One group consisted of 220 men and women from Yemen and the second group was composed of 260 newcomers from European countries.
They live together in a village for the aged, Shaar Menashe, maintained by Malben, the Joint Distribution Committee program for aged, ill and handicapped immigrants. Both groups were given the same basic food. However, the Yemenites adjusted their diet to conform with their own eating habits.
There was no significant difference in the caloric intake between the two groups. However, the Yemenites’ consumption of animal protein and fat was relatively low–24 grams of animal protein and 16 grams of fats daily, compared to the Europeans’ 60 grams and 35 grams respectively. On the other hand, their vegetable fat and protein intake was slightly higher.
The studies showed no signs of heart disease among the Yemenite men; among the Yemenite women the incidence was less than one percent. In contrast to these figures, the incidence of heart disease among the European men was 3.7 percent and among the women, 3.4 percent. The medical researchers found that the blood pressure of the European women was considerably higher than that of Yemenite women. There was no significant difference in the blood pressure of the men of both groups.
The researchers also found that the degree of cholesterol deposits was much lower among the Yemenites than among the Europeans. The study also revealed that electro-cardio graphic signs of atherosclerotic heart disease, and incidence and severity of atherosclerosis of the abdominal aorta were about three times higher among the European immigrants. The study was supported by grants from JDC-Malben and the Israel General Federation of Labor.
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