Mediterranean diet and cardioprotection: The role of nitrite, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and polyphenols

Abstract The continually increasing rate of myocardial infarction (MI) in the Western world at least partly can be explained by a poor diet lacking in green vegetables, fruits, and fish and enriched in food that contains saturated fat. In contrast, a number of epidemiologic studies provide strong ev...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Los Angeles County, Calif.), 2011-07, Vol.27 (7), p.733-744
Main Authors: Nadtochiy, Sergiy M., Ph.D, Redman, Emily K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antioxidants - therapeutic use
Biological and medical sciences
Diet
Diet, Mediterranean
Fatty Acids, Unsaturated - therapeutic use
FDA approval
Feeding. Feeding behavior
Fruits
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Heart attacks
Homeostasis
Humans
Mediterranean diet
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial Infarction - prevention & control
Nitrates
Nitrite
Nitrites - therapeutic use
Phenols
Phytotherapy
Plant Extracts - therapeutic use
Plasma
Polyphenols
Polyphenols - therapeutic use
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
PUFA
Studies
Vegetables
Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
Wines
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract The continually increasing rate of myocardial infarction (MI) in the Western world at least partly can be explained by a poor diet lacking in green vegetables, fruits, and fish and enriched in food that contains saturated fat. In contrast, a number of epidemiologic studies provide strong evidence highlighting the cardioprotective benefits of the Mediterranean diet enriched in green vegetables, fruits, fish, and grape wine. Regular consumption of these products leads to an accumulation of nitrate/nitrite/NO, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and polyphenolic compounds, such as resveratrol, in the human body. Studies have confirmed that these constituents are bioactive exogenous mediators, which induce strong protection against MI. The aim of this review is to provide a critical, in-depth analysis of the cardioprotective pathways mediated by nitrite/NO, PUFA, and phenolic compounds of grape wines discovered in the recent years, including cross-talk between different mechanisms and compounds. Overall, these findings may facilitate the design and synthesis of novel therapeutic tools for the treatment of MI.
ISSN:0899-9007
1873-1244
DOI:10.1016/j.nut.2010.12.006