American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 18, 169-175, Copyright © 1966 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

A Dietary Study of Men Residing in Urban and Rural Areas of Puerto Rico

¹ From the Department of Medicine, School of Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico

An investigation of the daily nutrient intake of fats, carbohydrate, sugar, cholesterol and protein was undertaken in fifty urban (Bayamón group) and forty-four rural (Palmarito group) male residents aged forty-five to sixty-four years. The subjects investigated comprised over 90 per cent of the men residing in the two areas selected. The 24 hour recall technic was used.

Serum cholesterol levels, electrocardiographic determinations, blood pressures and body weights were obtained on all subjects. These results are reported in another paper.

Urban residents consumed a greater total amount of fat and calories daily than their rural counterparts.

Although men residing in rural areas weighed less and had a lower total caloric intake, they consumed a higher number of calories per unit of body weight.

Although total fat intake was higher in urban residents, the per cent fat from animal sources was higher in those residing in rural areas. The per cent calories derived from fat in the two groups was the same. The ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids (P:S) was higher in urban residents, but the ratio was well below 1 in both groups.

No relationship between dietary intake of cholesterol and the serum cholesterol level was observed.

Men residing in rural areas consumed a smaller (5 per cent) percentage of their carbohydrate as refined sugar. Calories derived from simple sugar were almost twice as high in those residing in urban areas.

Due to our findings concerning refined sugar and data collected by other workers concerning the relationship of refined sugar to coronary heart disease, this hypothesis merits further investigation as a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease.