Pro- and antioxidants and risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease in the elderly

Abstract

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is an increasing global problem carrying heavy social and economic costs. Coronary heart disease is responsible for about 50% of cardiovascular mortality, which itselfs accounts for 30-50% of all deaths in developed nations t. It is the major cause of premature death, in women as in men - women lagging behind men by some ten years in this age-related disease. Knowledge on risk factors for CHD has accumulated in recent years. Research evidence now lends strong support to the view that CHD is in part preventable by reduction of modifiable risk factors. The greater the number of risk factors known to be causally related to the disease, the greater the power to reduce the disease burden in the community by reducing the levels of such pathogenic risk factors, though depending on the modifiability of the risk factors and their strength related to disease. Diet is among the modifiable risk factors and provides a simple and non-pharmacologic method for prevention of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease