Coronary heart disease in Western populations? : letter to the editor

Extracted from text ... To the Editor: I again take issue with Professor Walker regarding the importance of refined foods (sugars, white bread, pasta, cakes, chocolates) as the major cause of coronary artery disease.3 Cigarettes and physical inactivity, cited by Professor Walker as important factors, 2 play a lesser role. Cigarettes can only increase the peripheral resistance in those vessels already previously hardened by glycosylation, raising the blood pressure further.4 I have not encountered any literature that incriminates cigarette smoke in the formation of atheromatous plaques. High glucose levels which glycosylate the elastic fibres, as well as collagen in vessel walls cause their rigidity ..