Diet and Cardiovascular Disease

... Diet and Cardiovascular Disease Link between diet and cardiovascular disease Diet directly affects the development of atherosclerosis (lesions which can block arteries), the underlying cause for CVD. Diet also affects blood cholesterol levels, body weight, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels. Changing lifestyle habits, including the way people eat, has long been known to be effective in managing these risk factors. Diet and nutrition play a role in cardiovascular (CVD) There is evidence that plant foods play a role in preventing atherosclerotic heart disease. Plant foods provide dietary fibre that help lower blood cholesterol and antioxidants that help in lipoprotein oxidation. On the other hand, the consumption of saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, and red meat have all been shown to increase the incidence of heart disease. Early work concentrated on how these substances played a role in the level of total and LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins -the bad cholesterol) in the blood. Lowering dietary

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