Are French heart attack rates really so low?

In exploring reasons for the "French Paradox," researchers wanted to make sure that CHD death rates in France were really low. One suspected reason for the discrepancy was the reporting method on French death certificates. The way in which the "cause of death" is entered on a death certificate varies according to the country's accepted methodology and the disease or pathological processes thought to cause death. Many deaths involve several diseases, and the physician must decide what actually led to death. If several abnormalities are present, the order in which they are listed on the death certificate determines how the death is classified.