Nutrients and gene expression in cardiovascular disease

Major cardiovascular diseases have atherosclerosis, the inflammatory-mediated degenerative disease of the vascular wall, as their substrate. Because many dietary risk factors are recognized to contribute to the progression of disease in connection with genetic settings, the understanding of the impact of nutrient on the complex of whole-genome networking and gene expression has been viewed as an important research goal and a potential therapeutic target. Although for years this has turned out to be a daunting endeavor, current improvements in high-throughput technologies and their wider application to nutritional studies in animals and humans are constantly disclosing potential targets in atherosclerosis, paving the way to adopting promising comprehensive and effective strategies to reducing cardiovascular risk through dietary interventions. This chapter describes how typical dietary vasculoprotective components, including unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidant polyphenols, affect gene expression involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and how their intake may contribute to reducing atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk.

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