A study of 16,000 people in 52 countries in the current issue of Circulation found that eating meat, fried foods and salty snacks raised the risk of a heart attack by 35 percent. Conversely, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduced the risk of a heart attack by 30 percent.

Again, a 24-year study of 88,517 female nurses in the April 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine found that those who ate lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based protein were 24 percent less likely to have a heart attack and 18 percent less likely to have a stroke than those addicted to a more typical American diet.

With the cost of medical care becoming a national crisis, it’s high time for each of us to assume more responsibility for our own and our family’s health by becoming more selective with our food dollars.

Barry Jace

Bangor