Atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease

There is no medical problem related to women s health that has a higher negative impact on morbidity (and frequently mortality) than menopause, a condition closely associated with declining sex steroid availability. The most important problems associated with menopause are osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular diseases. It is estimated that 40 million women are menopausal or postmenopausal in the United States alone (Andrews, 1995 Curtis, 1999). 

These transgenic mice are potentially promising models for the study of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, and also for the development and testing of cholesterol-lowering drugs. 

Cholesterol is a structural lipid that is not required in the diet, since ample amounts are synthesi ,ed in the body. This tip id is a required component of most ceils of the body. Cholesterol has received a great deal of attention in the nutritional and biochemical communities because of its strange metabolism in certain regions of the body, for example, the arteries that supply oxygen and other nutrients to the heart muscle. This unusual metabolism may result in the pathological accumulation of cholesterol in the artery wall, which gradually creates a sequence of defects that lead to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. 

In the next section, we will see how an understanding of the SREBP and nuclear receptor regulatory pathways has contributed to effective strategies for reducing the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. 

Epidemiological evidence indicates that the concentration of HDL cholesterol in the plasma is inversely correlated with the risk for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, transgenic overexpression of apolipoprotein A-I,... 

Tsimikas, S., L.D. Tsironis, and A.D. Tselepis New insights into the role of lipoprotein(a)-associated lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vase. Biol. 27 (2007) 2094—9. 

J.H. Meurman, M. Sanz, S.J. Jariket, Oral health, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, Crit. Rev. Oral Biol. Med. 15 (2004) 403-413. 

The extracellular matrix of vascular wall cells, a complex array of collagen, elastin, adhesion proteins, and proteoglycans (see Chapter 13), mediates a variety of functions with significance for the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. These include blood cell adhesion, lipoprotein binding, vascular wall... 

Camici M. C-reactive protein, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. An update. Minerva Cardioangiol 2002 50 327-331. 

Atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease remains a primary cause of mortality in the United States and in other industrialized nations. The general link to diet and cholesterol has been well established ... 

Hypercholesterolemia Metabolic disease in which the patient has increased levels of blood cholesterol (>200-240 mg/dL). The high levels of cholesterol increase the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases due to the formation of plaques in the walls of arteries. These diseases worsen when the levels of LDL are increased. 

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) Lipoprotein that transports cholesterol, which is mainly responsible for accumulating in the arterial walls producing atherosclerosis. LDL lipoproteins enter into cells via a receptor (B-lOO receptor). When this mechanism is compromised, the patient suffers from abuormal LDL cholesterol levels and is more prone to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. 

Several factors may need to be considered in the interpretation of the results of population studies. First, the effect of LA on atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease may depend on the background intake in the population being studied. Second, any relationships observed may be confounded by intake of other foods from which LA derives. Third, LA may have differential effects on aspects of the aetiology of cardiovascular disease, including endothelial function, thrombosis, arrhythmia, and atherosclerosis. 

Diets low in n-6 fatty acids, principally LA, appear to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The results of studies examining the effects of LA on risk factors for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease are consistent with this observation. An increase in n-6 PUFA intake from a low to a moderate intake level, in conjunction with... 

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