Public policy and dietary recommendations to reduce population levels of blood cholesterol.

Because atherosclerosis and its physiological/behavioral precursors are mass phenomena and because the scientific evidence supports the potential benefit, safety, and feasibility of a population wide approach to their prevention, changes in eating patterns are recommended to lower average blood cholesterol levels for the American public. This public health approach is complementary to needed research on mechanisms of diet response, lipoprotein regulation, atherosclerosis, and coronary disease, and to the identification and treatment of individuals with dyslipoproteinemia or other elevated risk characteristics.