Eating habits of 40-year-old women (n=592) were evaluated in the study. The women were participants of the programme “Prophylaxis of cardiovascular diseases in the population of 40-year-old citizens of Wrocław” carried out under the auspices of the Health Department of the City Office of Wrocław. In the study, use was made of a 24-h recall method and history of nutrition that included, among other things, average daily number of meals, frequency of meal consumption and food preferences. The examined women were also subjected to analyses of concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol fraction and blood glucose as well as measurements of blood pressure and calculations of Body Mass Index (BMI). The study demonstrated the presence of overweight in 27% of the women examined, obesity in 10% of the women, elevated blood level of total cholesterol in 51.7% of the women, elevated blood glucose level in 17% of the women, and elevated systolic blood pressure in 15% of the women. The statistical analysis indicated a significant, unfavourable effect of BMI index on blood pressure and some lipid indices. In the group of women examined (n=592), the risk of cardiovascular disease was estimated in a 10-year period of observations based on Framingham Heart Study criteria. A high risk, i.e. 11–30%, was demonstrated for 25 women.