title: Functional foods and cardiovascular disease.
abstract: Functional foods are foods that, by virtue of physiologically active food components, provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Many functional foods have been found to be potentially beneficial in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality in the United States. These foods include soybeans, oats, psyllium, flaxseed, garlic, tea, fish, grapes, nuts, and stanol- and sterol ester enhanced margarine. When eaten in adequate amounts on a consistent basis, these foods may aid in decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease by several potential mechanisms: lowering blood lipid levels, improving arterial compliance, reducing low-density lipoprotein oxidation, decreasing plaque formation, scavenging free radicals, and inhibiting platelet aggregation.
authors: Functional Foods for Health Program, University of Illinois, 1302 West Pennsylvania Avenue, Room 103 Agricultural Bioprocess Laboratory; M/C 640, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. c-hasler@uiuc.edu
authors: C M
authors: CM
authors: Hasler
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Kundrat
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Wool
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019597:Flax / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058870:Food, Organic; D005737:Garlic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009754:Nuts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010840:Phytosterols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011620:Psyllium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D019685:Rosales / Q000627:therapeutic use; D030262:Soybean Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013662:Tea / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D004043:Dietary Fiber; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D010840:Phytosterols; D030262:Soybean Proteins; D013662:Tea; D011620:Psyllium