given the dramatic increase in sugar consumption during the first half of the century, yudkin started to suspect that excessive sugar in the diet might contribute not only to obesity but also to coronary heart disease. studying historical data from many different countries, he found that increasing prosperity leads to an increase in sugar consumption, particularly in manufactured foods, and also that the ready availability of sugar-containing manufactured foods even in the poorer countries may lead to their being bought in preference to more nutritious food. in 1964 he wrote 'in the wealthier countries, there is evidence that sugar and sugar-containing foods contribute to several diseases, including obesity, dental caries, diabetes mellitus and myocardial infarction [heart attack]'. investigating whether any link between sugar consumption and disease could be shown in individual patients, he and his associates in the department of nutrition found that patients with atherosclerotic disease (a frequent precursor of coronary heart disease) consumed significantly more sucrose than control patients.