Hisaichiro Tsukiyama, Cardiovascular Department, Kanagawa Prefectural Cancer Center, has reported that the onset of myocardial infarction and sudden death is more likely to occur in the morning: Holter ECG findings suggest that the same tendency is seen for myocardial ischemia or thrombotic stroke. The onset of heart disease is usually associated with increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, and increased plasma catecholamines in the morning. In an article by Muller in Circulation, it was noted that plasma cortisol concentrations increased in the morning in animals, while coronary blood flow velocities were lower. It was also mentioned that common elements of thrombotic disorders are increased blood viscosity and platelet agglutination in the morning and decreased tissue fibrinogen activator. Mulcahy et al. reported that the number and duration of episodes of myocardial ischemia measured by Holter ECG in patients with coronary artery disease showed that beta blockade disappeared the peak of high incidence of myocardial ischemia in the morning. This suggests that clinical use of beta blockers may prevent the onset of heart attack. High-fat foods and heart attacks Most heart attacks occur in the early morning. George Miller of the London Society for Medical Research (LSMR) and others have recently pointed out that the use of high-fat foods and heart attacks may be associated with the development of heart attacks. Dr. Miller and others have recently pointed out that one of the reasons for this may be that the high-fat food eaten in the evening causes the blood to thicken and flow more slowly in the early morning. The researchers studied 170 men, all of whom were between the ages of 40 and 59. The analysis showed that high-fat foods immediately activated a chemical that causes blood to thicken, called factor 7. The researchers found that the likelihood of heart disease was related to the amount of Factor 7 in the blood. People who ate high-fat foods had 12 percent higher levels of factor 7 than those who ate low-fat foods. The study also demonstrated that foods high in fat caused the blood to thicken and slow down within about seven hours of entering the body. Eating foods with less fat at dinner reduces the likelihood of heart disease.