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Review
. 2018 Dec 11;19(12):3988.
doi: 10.3390/ijms19123988.

Nutrition and Cardiovascular Health

Rosa Casas  1   2 , Sara Castro-Barquero  3 , Ramon Estruch  4   5 , Emilio Sacanella  6   7
Affiliations
Review

Nutrition and Cardiovascular Health

Rosa Casas et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Western countries, representing almost 30% of all deaths worldwide. Evidence shows the effectiveness of healthy dietary patterns and lifestyles for the prevention of CVD. Furthermore, the rising incidence of CVD over the last 25 years has become a public health priority, especially the prevention of CVD (or cardiovascular events) through lifestyle interventions. Current scientific evidence shows that Western dietary patterns compared to healthier dietary patterns, such as the 'Mediterranean diet' (MeDiet), leads to an excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines associated with a reduced synthesis of anti-inflammatory cytokines. In fact, dietary intervention allows better combination of multiple foods and nutrients. Therefore, a healthy dietary pattern shows a greater magnitude of beneficial effects than the potential effects of a single nutrient supplementation. This review aims to identify potential targets (food patterns, single foods, or individual nutrients) for preventing CVD and quantifies the magnitude of the beneficial effects observed. On the other hand, we analyze the possible mechanisms implicated in this cardioprotective effect.

Keywords: MUFA; Mediterranean diet; PUFA; bioactive compounds; cardiovascular disease; dietary pattern; inflammation; nutrients; phytosterols; polyphenols.

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Conflict of interest statement

R.E. reports serving on the board of and receiving lecture fees from the Research Foundation on Wine and Nutrition (FIVIN); serving on the boards of the Beer and Health Foundation and the European Foundation for Alcohol Research (ERAB); receiving lecture fees from Cerveceros de España and Sanofi-Aventis; and receiving grant support through his institution from Novartis. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Unhealthy dietary patterns, together with a lack of exercise, overweight and obesity, aging, gender, genetics, or a smoking habit, among others, might lead to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Main protection mechanisms of the Mediterranean diet against cardiovascular disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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