Unsaturated fat and cardiovascular health in Poland

The 1990s have seen a rapid transformation in cardiovascular health in Poland, including in morbidity and mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD). The causes of this phenomenon were multifactorial. However, in the case of Poland it has been proposed that perhaps the most important mechanisms were changes in the diet, and particularly in the rapid transformation of the structure of fat consumption between 1980s and 1990s, which were triggered by profound social, political and economic changes. In result of these, the Polish diet begun developing towards a Mediterranean style, and included biologically important changes concerning dietary cardio-protective modifications. Specifically, it has been suggested that initially the countries of Central and Eastern European region, including Poland, had experienced deficiency in polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially alpha-linolenic acid, which was then levelled up in Poland at the beginning of 1990s, and which resulted in cardiovascular transformation. This article outlines the key milestones observed in the transformation of diet in Poland between 1950s and 1990s, and offers an overview of the possible contribution it had on the improvements in CHD.