Food prices and blood cholesterol

Ilya Rahkovsky and Christian Gregory

Economics & Human Biology, 2013, vol. 11, issue 1, 95-107

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.

Keywords: Food prices; Blood cholesterol; Cardiovascular disease; Food subsidy; Food tax (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Food Prices and Blood Cholesterol (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:11:y:2013:i:1:p:95-107

DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2012.01.004

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