Abstract
Although the mortality from coronary heart disease has declined recently, atherosclerosis and related vascular disorders are still the leading cause of death in the United States and other Western countries. The etiology of this disease is multifactorial, with hyperlipidemia, smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity being well-established risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis. Dietary fat affects plasma lipids and lipoproteins and, thus, is linked to atherosclerosis (1). Injury to or dysfunction of the vascular endothelium may be initiating events in the etiology of atherosclerosis.