Diets high in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol are linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, some cancers, and exacerbate diseases related to overconsumption of alcohol. The choice of diet influences an individual's long-term health more than any other single factor

The dietary fat in the American daily diet fell from 37% fat on average to 34% in 1995. The target is 30%. But the consumption of cheese is on the increase

1. Eskimos living on a traditional diet have the highest fat intake in the world and have none of the diseases associated with high fat diets. The substance conjugated linoleic acid, found in fatty meats and cheeses, is a potent anti-carcinogen. It has a molecular structure that tends to attract and immobilize free oxygen radicals, rare forms of oxygen molecules found in blood and tissue that have been strongly implicated in the initiation of cancers and degenerative conditions like arthritis, heart disease and aging. In 1990 evidence was presented suggesting that reduction of fat intake increased susceptibility to violent death (accidents, suicides or murders) by altering brain chemistry

2. Margarine was originally recommended for people at risk from coronary heart disease on the grounds that saturated fats in butter were worse for the heart than polyunsaturates in soft margarines. But there are two sorts of polyunsaturates, Omega 3 and Omega 6. The diet of early humans was rich in Omega 3, which comes from wild animals, some plants, vegetable oils such as rapeseed and linseed, and some oily fish. It increases the amount of "good" cholesterol (HDL) and cuts hypertension. Omega 6, however, increases blood clotting, "bad" cholesterol (LDL) levels and the rate at which weight is gained. It comes from grain, domestic animal meat and oils such as safflower and sunflower. It is a major ingredient in margarine, which also contain transfatty acids which rarely occur in nature and have been linked with heart disease and smaller babies

3. A 1995 British survey of cholesterol studies showed that the American goal of a 30% fat diet does not affect heart disease rates, and has little effect on cholesterol levels