Information and Advertising Policy: A Study of Fat and Cholesterol Consumption in the United States, 1977-1990

Pauline M. Ippolito, Alan D. Mathios

The study examines changes in the consumption of fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol from 1977 to 1990, a period when federal policy governing diet-disease claims changed. The study finds that dietary improvements occurred more rapidly in the post-1985 years, when the rules were relaxed. The study also includes a variety of detailed data on differences in consumer knowledge and sources of dietary fats over the period.