AbstractThe year 1987 has been marked by many things besides the Iran Scam hearings, First Family surgery, and the stock market crash. There has been a tremendous information explosion in all fields, especially in the field of health and specifically preventive medicine. One no longer asks one's doctor what to eat to prevent diseases because one can read about it in Wednesday's food section, Sunday's magazine, or in womens' magazines, or you can send for or pick up an NCI or an ACS booklet in any doctor's office. Terms like saturated fats, dietary fibers, HDLs, omega-3 fatty acids, and selenium, are public domain terminology, reflecting the fest-moving changes in all areas of medicine and the public's hunger to be informed. This is the yield of consumerism for which the American appetite is endless.