Article

In this article, we discuss certain contemporary and controversial topics in
cardiovascular (CV) nutrition including recent data regarding the health benefits
of the Mediterranean diet, the role of saturated fatty acids,
red meat and the
microbiome in CV disease and the current role of personalized CV nutrition.
Findings from the PREDIMED study now demonstrate the health benefits of the
Mediterranean diet even in the absence of heart disease.
The study highlighted
that even small, sustained and easily implementable changes to diet can provide
significant health benefits even in Mediterranean regions. Likewise,
observational data in secondary prevention show that increased adherence to the
Mediterranean diet is associated with good long-term clinical outcomes among
subjects with stable coronary heart disease. The role of saturated fats in the
development of CV disease remains controversial, although data suggest that these
fats are associated with modestly increased risk of CV events. In contrast, the
obesity epidemic currently driving the CV risk worldwide is in large part due to
excess consumption of refined carbohydrates. Furthermore, a growing body of
evidence suggests that the intestinal microbiome is highly sensitive to lifestyle
choices and may play a pivotal role in modulating CV disease development. For
example, recent evidence linking processed and unprocessed meats to increased CV
risk pointed to the gut microbial metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide as a
potential culprit. Finally, given the high interindividual variability in
response to interventions including diet, personalized nutrition has potential to
play a major role in tailoring diets based on genetic make-up to maximize health
benefits. This approach is still in its infancy but is highly promising.
CI - Copyright (c) 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Langue : ANGLAIS