Nutritional Interventions for Cardiovascular Aging and Age-Related Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Both morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) increase with age. The increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors with age and cardiovascular aging contribute to the association between aging and CVDs. Most developed countries would benefit from the development of novel therapeutics to control cardiovascular aging because they are confronted with an aged society. Dietary restriction (DR) including caloric restriction (CR) and alternate-day fasting is an established nutritional intervention with scientifically proved anti-aging effects. Recent experimental and clinical investigations demonstrate that DR exerts pleiotropic effects on the cardiovascular system. CR prevents the progression of atherosclerosis and vascular aging via direct and indirect mechanisms. CR prevents cardiac senescence by attenuating oxidative damage and enhancing cardiac autophagy, leading to improved cardiac function in aged animals. DR improves myocardial ischemic tolerance in rodents of all ages. DR counteracts age-associated changes in autonomic nerve function. CR may mitigate metabolic cardiomyopathy associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The mechanisms underlying the beneficial cardiovascular effects of DR are multifaceted, but considerable progress has been made in the past decade toward their understanding. Recent investigations reveal that DR triggers an active defense response against stressful conditions. At the center of this response are cardiovascular protective signals, which include the mammalian target of rapamycin, AMP-activated kinase, sirtuins, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase. They form a network with both positive and negative feedbacks. Therefore, DR and CR mimetics that can replicate the effects of CR are promising interventions for regulating cardiovascular aging and managing patients with CVDs.