Atherosclerosis

Scientific studies (review articles) on the relationship between diet/nutrients and arteriosclerosis:
A review article of randomized, placebo-controlled double blind clinical trials (RCTs) will answer the following question:
"Do taking dietary supplements make sense?" Yes for a positive conclusion and no for a negative conclusion.

A review article of cohort studies or case-control studies will answer the following question:
"Should I change my diet?".

1. Quercetin supplements decrease triglycerides levels
2. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation reduces serum triglycerides levels of patients with metabolic disorders
3. Walnut-enriched diet reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels
4. Dyslipidemia is associated with severe COVID-19 infections

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• Dyslipidemia is elevation of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs), or both, or a low HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) level that contributes to the development of atherosclerosis.
• Atherosclerosis is the main underlying cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• Healthy arteries are flexible and elastic, but over time, the walls in your arteries can harden, a condition commonly called hardening of the arteries.
• Arteriosclerosis, sometimes called "hardening of the arteries" occurs when the blood vessels (arteries) that carry oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body become thick and stiff due to a buildup of plaque (fatty deposits) in the inner lining of an artery - sometimes restricting blood flow to your organs and tissues.
• These fatty deposits are made up of cholesterol, fatty substances, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin (a clotting material in the blood).
• The danger behind atherosclerosis is restricted blood flow throughout the body and the potential for blood clots (thrombus). Blood clots may block blood flow.
  Pieces of plaque can also break off and move to smaller blood vessels, blocking them.
  These blockages starve tissues of blood and oxygen. This can result in damage or tissue death. It is a common cause of heart attack and stroke.
• Atherosclerosis is a slow, progressive disease that may begin as early as childhood. Although the exact cause is unknown, atherosclerosis may start with damage or injury to the inner layer of an artery. The damage may be caused by:
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • High triglycerides, a type of fat (lipid) in your blood
  • Inflammation from diseases, such as arthritis, lupus or infections or inflammation of unknown cause
  • Insulin resistance, obesity or diabetes
  • Smoking and other sources of tobacco. Smoking plays a big role in the progression of atherosclerosis in the aorta (the body’s main artery), coronary arteries and arteries in the legs. Smoking makes fatty deposits more likely to form and it accelerates the growth of plaque.
• Atherosclerosis often occurs with aging.
• Atherosclerosis can cause a heart attack, stroke, aneurysm or blood clot.
• Impaired endothelial function is an early indicator of atherosclerosis. Endothelial function is often quantified by flow-mediated dilation (FMD), which represents the endothelium-dependent relaxation of a conduit artery-typically the brachial artery - due to an increased blood flow.
  Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is endothelium-dependent and can be assessed by ultrasound in the brachial artery.
• Treatment for atherosclerosis may include lifestyle changes, medicine and surgery.