In South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis) settled overseas, high rates of coronary disease and non-insulin-dependent diabetes occur in association with central obesity and insulin resistance. To examine whether these disturbances were related to diet, we measured 7-d weighed intakes in 173 South Asian and European men aged 40-69 y in London. In South Asians compared with Europeans, respectively, mean energy intake was lower (9.5 vs 10.8 MJ/day, P < 0.001), total fat intake was lower (36.5% vs 39.2% of energy intake, P = 0.007), starch intake was higher (28.0% vs 21.5% of energy, P < 0.001), polyunsaturated fatty acid intake was higher (8.2% vs 7.0% of energy, P = 0.02), and dietary fiber intake was higher (3.2 vs 2.0 g/MJ, P < 0.001). Elevated serum insulin concentrations at 2 h postglucose were associated positively with carbohydrate intake (P = 0.001) and inversely with alcohol intake (P = 0.006), but not with saturated fatty acid intake. The high coronary risk in South Asian people is not explained by any unfavorable characteristic of South Asian diets.