Medical research teams have produced reliable evidence showing that excessive fat in your diet may lay the groundwork for heart disease. If you are already past 30, it may naturally occur to you to wonder whether the damage done to your arteries is permanent, or whether it is reversible.

At the present stage of research, doctors cannot answer the question with certainty. They can cite the hopeful fact that experiments with animals have shown that the condition is reversible in animals. There is evidence that the cholesterol in the arteries is absorbed in children, as shown by Dr. Russell Holman and others.

However, this metabolic gift seems to be lost as we grow up. There are many authorities in the field who do believe that since atherosclerosis (artery blockage) is reversible in animals, it can also be eliminated even after it is established in humans as well.

A question that patients often ask their doctor is: "Can you tell me whether I am already a victim of degenerative artery disease?" Unfortunately, they do not as yet have a test that can predict with certainty (although now, tests are available that are reasonably accurate at your local heart hospital) whether you are susceptible to coronary disease, or are likely to have a heart attack.

One fact, however, is certain: if laboratory tests show that you have an excessive amount of cholesterol in your blood, your chances of avoiding heart and blood vessel disease, which can lead to heart attack or stroke, are much smaller. You are then much more susceptible. If you are over 30 years of age, you ought to have your physician include such a measurement of cholesterol level in your routine check-up.

Too many people in the dangerous middle years are so busy in the fast-moving game of life, that they forget that their hearts are their most important asset.

What is the solution for us?

The many studies that have been made do not prove conclusively that heart disease is caused solely by diet. But they do heavily underscore much of the information that has been gathered from a quarter of a century of laboratory research.

Taken together, the evidence points strongly to this fact; if everyone in the United States would reduce their fat intake by 25%, we would cut the number of heart deaths in half within 20 years. Moreover, a low-fat diet will add immeasurably to your general health and well-being.