The Influence of Nutrition and Ways of Life on Blood Cholesterol and the Prevalence of Hypertension and Coronary Heart Disease Among Trappist and Benedictine Monks

Abstract

This is a report on the results of a comparative investigation into the influence of nutrition and other ways of life on the general condition, serum cholesterol and prevalence of hypertension, atherosclerotic (coronary) heart disease and angina pectoris among 181 Trappist monks who lived on a frugal vegetarian diet, and 168 Benedictine monks who lived on a mixed "western" diet. The average blood cholesterol level was significantly higher among the Benedictine monks than among the Trappist monks. However, there was no difference in prevalence of myocardial infarcts, angina pectoris, hypertension and electrocardiographic signs of diffuse atherosclerotic (ischemic) heart disease between the two groups. It appeared as if myocardial infarction, the result of an occlusion of one of the major coronary arteries, was more rare among both orders than among other groups of The Netherlands and Belgian population; whereas the frequency of electrocardiographic signs of diffuse myocardial damage (possibly due to coronary sclerosis) and angina pectoris among both groups were not found to be markedly different from that of the general population. These results seem to support the hypothesis that acute occlusion of a major coronary artery, leading to a macroscopic myocardial infarct, is less related to nutrition and blood cholesterol than to certain psychosocial factors in the western ways of life, against which the members of both the Trappist and Benedictine Orders seem to be more or less protected. What these factors are exactly requires further investigation. Against angina pectoris and diffuse ischemic heart disease due to coronary sclerosis, this protection appeared to be less evident.