Why Did Heart Attacks Drop in Czech Men?
Rapid Drop in Coronary Heart Disease Mortality in Czech Male Population—What Was Actually behind It?
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When the government stopped paying for butter and lard, people ate less animal fat and more plant oils. Their bad cholesterol went down, and their fat tissue became less inflamed—so fewer men had heart attacks.
Surprising Findings
Heart disease deaths dropped rapidly even though no new treatments were introduced—statins weren’t available, and acute care didn’t improve.
For decades, experts assumed medical advances (like statins or stents) drove the decline in heart disease. This study shows diet alone—no pills, no surgery—could cause a dramatic, population-wide turnaround.
Practical Takeaways
Replace butter and lard with plant oils rich in omega-3s (like flaxseed, walnut, or canola oil) and eat more fatty fish to improve your n-3 to n-6 ratio.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When the government stopped paying for butter and lard, people ate less animal fat and more plant oils. Their bad cholesterol went down, and their fat tissue became less inflamed—so fewer men had heart attacks.
Surprising Findings
Heart disease deaths dropped rapidly even though no new treatments were introduced—statins weren’t available, and acute care didn’t improve.
For decades, experts assumed medical advances (like statins or stents) drove the decline in heart disease. This study shows diet alone—no pills, no surgery—could cause a dramatic, population-wide turnaround.
Practical Takeaways
Replace butter and lard with plant oils rich in omega-3s (like flaxseed, walnut, or canola oil) and eat more fatty fish to improve your n-3 to n-6 ratio.
Publication
Journal
Biomedicines
Year
2022
Authors
R. Poledne, A. Králová, Hana Bartuskova, Karel Paukner, S. Kauerová, J. Fronek, V. Lánská, I. Králová Lesná
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Claims (10)
People with higher bad cholesterol tend to have more inflammation-causing immune cells in their belly fat — for every 1 mmol/L rise in cholesterol, these cells go up by about 18%.
When people ate less butter and more plant oils, their overall heart disease risk score — based on good and bad cholesterol — got better.
After the Czech government stopped subsidizing butter and fatty meats, heart disease deaths in men dropped dramatically over the next two decades.
In the early 1990s, Czech doctors didn’t have access to modern heart drugs like statins or new blood pressure medications.
When the balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fats in body fat improves, there are fewer inflammation-causing immune cells — meaning omega-3s may help calm inflammation.