This brief review by Getz and Reardon is part of the “Global Theme Issue on Poverty and Human Development,” an international initiative aimed at raising awareness of and stimulating research on poverty and human development throughout the world. The authors have focused on the nutritional aspects of cardiovascular disease (CVD), atherosclerosis and hypertension in particular. Given that diet is a key modifiable environmental factor in the pathophysiology of CVD, the paper reviews the role of specific nutrients such as dietary fatty acids and cholesterol in the development of atherosclerosis. The roles of obesity, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity in CVD are also discussed. Getz and Reardon emphasize that lifestyle determinants of CVD, diet especially, are crucial in preventing CVD everywhere in the world and that preventive steps should be taken early in life.
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