Nothing is more appealing than a simple solution to a complex problem. That is why so many people have eagerly embraced the notion that eating right can prevent heart disease. Following the advice of the U.S. Government's National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), millions of Americans have lined up to get their cholesterol checked and have purged their refrigerators of fatty foods. Food manufacturers are pumping up sales simply by touting their products as "cholesterol free." Rarely has a health campaign so quickly become a national obsession.
But now a backlash may be in the offing. In the provocative new book Heart...