Globalization of food patterns and cardiovascular disease risk.

Radical dietary shifts in many developed and developing nations are supplanting traditional patterns of eating with a Western diet high in animal products and refined carbohydrates and low in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. In China, for example, consumption of animal products increased by nearly 40% between 1989 and 1997,1 and fastfood sales more than doubled between 1999 and 2005.2 Furthermore, consumption of soft drinks has soared in the United States and worldwide.3