Cardiovascular dietary fatty acids

McNamara, D. J. (1992). Dietary fatty acids, lipoproteins, and cardiovascular disease. Adv. food Nutt Res, 36, 253-351. 

Because high blood cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, concentrations are positively associated with risk of cardiovascular disease (Keys et al., 1965) there has been much interest in the influence of dietary fatty acids on these and other blood lipid concentrations. Early studies showed that saturated fatty acids with a chain length of <12 carbons failed to raise serum total cholesterol levels, while those with a chain length of 12-16 carbon atoms (i.e. lauric, myristic and palmitic acids) increased serum total and LDL cholesterol concentrations (Katan et al., 1995). The order of their effects on raising total and LDL cholesterol levels is ... 

Kris-Etherton P, Daniels SR, Eckel RH et al. (2001) Summary of the scientific conference on dietary fatty acids and cardiovascular health conference summary from the nutrition committee of the American Heart Association. Circulation 103 1034-1039. 

Interest in the health effects of anthocyanins was piqued by the French paradox in which the mortality from cardiovascular disease was lower than that predicted from the intake of dietary saturated fatty acids. The beneficial effects were greater in association with alcohol taken in the form of wine suggesting that there may be a protective effect of other components of wine. Needless to say the wine industry was pleased with this research. 

Hunter, J. E., Zhang, J., and Kris-Etherton, P. M. (2009). Cardiovascular disease risk of dietary stearic acid compared with trans, other saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids A systematic review. Am.. Clin. Nutr. 91(1), 46-63. 

Consumption of fats containing n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids lowers plasma LDLs, but HDLs, which protect against coronary heart disease, are also lowered. Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fats have little effect on plasma HDL or LDL levels, but they suppress cardiac arrhythmias and reduce serum triacylglycerols, decrease the tendency to thrombosis, and substantially reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality. 

Dyerberg J, Eskesen DC, Andersen PW, Astrup A, Buermann B, Christensen JH, Clausen P, Rasmussen BF, Schmidt EB, Thol-strup T, et al. Effects of trans- and n-3 unsaturated fatty acids on cardiovascular risk markers in healfliy males an 8 weeks dietary intervention study. Eur. J. CUn. Nutr. 2004 58 1062-1070. 

Bucher HC, Hengstler P, Schindler C, Meier G. N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in coronary heart disease a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am. J. Med. 2002 112 298-304. Psota TL, Gebauer SK, Kris-Eflierton P, Dietary omega-3 fatty acid intake and cardiovascular risk. Am. J. Cardiol. 2006 98(suppl) 3i-18i. 

Kristensen SD, Schmidt EB, Dyerberg J. Dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and human platelet function a review with particular emphasis on implications for 171. cardiovascular disease. J. Intern. Med. 1989 225(suppl) 141-150. 

N. de Rons, Trans fatty acids, HDL-cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease risk Effects of dietary changes on vascular reactivity, Wageningen Universiteit, Wageningen, the Netherlands, 2001. 

Intake of dietary sources of n-3 fatty acids is associated with reduced incidence and severity of inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers in humans (12, 98-103). Populations consuming fish that are rich in n-3 fatty acids are known to have a low incidence of atherosclerotic disorders (104). Dietary fish oil, which is high in EPA and DHA, also was shown to reduce myocardial ischemic damage (105) and ventricular fibrillation (106). The antitumorigenic effect of n-3 fatty acids was demonstrated in breast cancer (107), colon cancer (108-110), and pancreatic neoplasm (111). In addition to their beneficial influence on cardiovascular disorders and cancers, n-3 fatty acids are also known to decrease the severity and minimize symptoms of inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (15) and inflammatory bowel disease (16), and may be of benefit in correcting psychological disorders (17). 

The development of these chronic. Western-type diseases is associated with an excessive formation and function of eicosanoids derived from n-6 fatty acids. As balance can be restored to eicosanoid biosynthesis by dietary n-3 fatty acids, an effective strategy to diminish cardio-cerebrovascular mortality (in addition to several other serious disorders) may be to decrease the intake of n-6 fatty acids and replace them with n-3 fatty acids (116). Such a strategy is supported by studies that show an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases, specifically ischemic heart disease, in Japanese whose diet has increasingly become more Westernized (113, 117). 

The current interest in dietary fat, however, stems primarily from its implication in the origin of several chronic diseases. Interest has centered on both the amount and type of dietary fat in the development of cardiovascular disease, cancer, hypertension, and obesity. As a result, dietary recommendations in many countries call for a reduction in total fat intake, to 30% of energy, and in saturated fat intake, to less than 10% of energy. In addition, some nutrition recommendations specify recommended levels of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids in the diets. Hence, the source of fat in the diet has assumed considerable importance over the past few years. Interest in the nutritional properties of canola oil developed because of its fatty acid composition (Table 2). Canola oil is characterized by a low level of saturated fatty acids, a relatively high level of monounsaturated fatty acids, and an appreciable amount of the n-3 fatty acid ot-linolenic acid (18 3 n-3). 

---