There was war-time rationing in Europe alright, and it involved a whole bunch of foodstuffs along with animal products. So we're faced with the same shonky extrapolation issue I just discussed a few moments ago; namely, using a multifactorial intervention to disingenuously sing the praises of a single intervention.
In the case of Norway, here are some of the potentially confounding changes recorded in the literature:
- Cod liver oil became a standard addition to war-time diets…hmmm…more omega-3s, vitamin D and vitamin A! Gee, that wouldn't have had any possible confounding effect on CVD would it, now? Naaah…
- Fish intake increased greatly (those omega-3′s again…)
- Intake of skim milk was higher throughout the war than before it.
- Added fats like margarine and butter declined.
- Intake of sugar declined markedly.
- Overall calorie intake went down. Anyone down for some weight loss-induced reductions in CVD?
And to top it all off, Denise reminds us that a rise in infectious disease mortality may in fact be the real reason behind the wartime drop in CVD deaths. It's pretty safe to say you won't die of CHD if tuberculosis kills you first…
---Steve
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