Uticaj određenih sastojaka hrane na proces ateroskleroze

Abstract

Chronic non-contagious diseases cause nearly two-thirds of all the deaths in the world, and the cardiovascular diseases, as a part of the group of mass non-contagious diseases, have a share which is greater than half of all the deaths (57.3%) in the mortality structure. The atherosclerosis is the most common and the most important cause of the cardiovascular system morbidity. The pathophysiological mechanisms of the atherosclerosis are not fully explained, but it is known that the deposits of lipids, the oxidative stress, the inflammatory processes in the blood vessels, the endothelial disfunction and the differentiation of smooth muscle cells play an integral role in the formation, progression and rupture of the atherosclerotic plaque. The objective of this study was to analyze the available literature dealing with the connection of the process of atherosclerosis with the entry of certain processed food ingredients such as the dietary fibers, the phytosterols, the polyphenols, the monoand poly-unsaturated fatty acids. Numerous studies have established a correlation between the unhealthy nutrition and the onset of different diseases, and they have also established that the balanced nutrition through the use of the low energy density food containing a certain amount of the food ingredients, together with moderate physical activity, in a tobacco-smoke-free environment, may positively influence the prevention of atherosclerosis. Studies which have dealt with the effects of certain food ingredients to the process of atherosclerosis showed that the usage of mentioned ingredients can have beneficial impact on slowing down the process of atherosclerosis but they also showed the need of new researches.