Our parents or grandparents died from infectious<br > diseases such as tuberculosis， smallpox， and pneu-<br >monia. These diseases were almost eliminated with<br >the development of sanitation measures， effective<br >vaccines， and mass immunization. J<br > While the death rate from the major infectious dis-<br >eases dropped after 1910， the death rate from<br >chronic degenerative diseases increased more than<br >250%o. Chronic degenerative diseases include cardio-<br >vascular (heart and blood vessel) disease， (CVD) can-<br >cer， diabetes， and hypertension.<br > Today， cardiovascular disease accounts for 50% of<br >all deaths; cancer accounts for another 2OWo.~ These<br >diseases are primarily a result of life-style and might<br >be slowed or halted if an individual adopts healthy<br >habits. (Diagram 1)<br >Who Is At Risk For Developing Cardiovascular<br >Disease?<br > A man is only as old as his arteries<br > Sir William Osier， M.D.<br ><br >