Epidemiologic reconnaissance of hypertension in the Bahamas

ABSTRACT

Preliminary studies suggest that in the indigenous Bahamian population hypertensive cardiovascular disease is a prominent cause of morbidity and mortality; however, coronary heart disease is rarely diagnosed. On the basis of the high linoleic acid content in the adipose tissue of the Bahamian children and adults compared to Americans, the hypothesis is proposed that in Bahamians, dietary sources of linolic acid modify the effect of hypertension as a risk factor predisposing to coronary heart disease (AU)