title: Food prices and blood cholesterol.
abstract: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) cost Americans billions of dollars per year. High cholesterol levels, which are closely related to dietary habits, are a major contributor to CVD. In this article, we study whether changes in food prices are related to cholesterol levels and whether taxes or subsidies on particular foods would be effective in lowering cholesterol levels and, consequently, CVD costs. We find that prices of vegetables, processed foods, whole milk and whole grains are significantly associated with blood cholesterol levels. Having analyzed the costs and benefits of government interventions, we find that a subsidy of vegetables and whole grains would be an efficient way to reduce CVD expenditures.
authors.affiliation: Economic Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC, USA. irahkovsky@ers.usda.gov
authors.forename: Ilya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rahkovsky
authors.forename: Christian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gregory
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005502:Food / Q000191:economics*; D063105:Food Assistance; D005638:Fruit; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014675:Vegetables
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol