Cardiovascular Disease

Disease

Also known as: CVD, heart disease

Foods That May Help

Foods linked to Cardiovascular Disease in the research literature.

Whole GrainsReduces risk of
Systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis: whole grain consumption reduces cardiovascular disease risk
Source: How Not to Age
Green TeaReduces risk of
Dose-response relation between tea consumption and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality
Source: How Not to Age
Olive OilReduces risk of
Olive oil intake associated with reduced cardiovascular risk and mortality in PREDIMED study
Source: How Not to Age
FenugreekImproves
Systematic reviews (Khodamoradi 2020, Askarpour 2020): fenugreek improves cardiometabolic risk factors and blood lipids
Source: How Not to Age
WalnutsProtects against
One-year walnut supplementation modifies exosomal miRNA related to cardiovascular disease in elderly
Source: How Not to Age
Olive OilProtects against
Phenol-enriched virgin olive oil impacts postprandial circulating microRNAs related to cardiovascular disease
Source: How Not to Age
Dried plumsReduces risk of
Daily dried plum consumption reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors in postmenopausal women.
Source: How Not to Die
TomatoesReduces risk of
Tomatoes and cardiovascular health -- review of evidence for cardioprotective benefits (Willcox et al. 2003)
Source: How Not to Die
TempehReduces risk of
Tempeh is another fermented food made of soybeans rich in protein known to reduce risk of heart disease by lowering LDL level
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
KombuchaProtects against
Kombucha promotes liver function, prevents cardiovascular diseases, various types of cancers and stimulates immune system
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Extra-Virgin Olive OilReduces risk of
Virgin olive oils can prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, degenerative joint diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
NattoProtects against
Natto kinase and vinegar may soften blood vessels and dissolve thrombi
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Coconut OilReduces risk of
Fat content of coconut elevates HDL cholesterol known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
NutsReduces risk of
By the numbers, the nuts-or-olive-oil Mediterranean diet showed cardiovascular benefit in the PREDIMED trial (Estruch et al. 2013)
Source: Outlive
SalmonProtects against
Fish containing high levels of omega-3, such as salmon, recommended for CVD treatment diet
Source: The Longevity Diet
AvocadoReduces risk of
rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that are linked with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
Source: The Young Forever Cookbook

Compounds That May Help

Bioactive compounds linked to Cardiovascular Disease in the research.

AnthocyaninsReduces risk of
Higher anthocyanin intake associated with significantly lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease | Systematic review and meta-analysis of 44 RCTs and 15 cohort studies
Source: How Not to Age
ErgothioneineReduces risk of
Ergothioneine associated with reduced mortality and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease
Source: How Not to Age
Vitamin KReduces risk of
Participant-level meta-analysis of 3 US cohorts shows vitamin K status associated with lower cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality
Source: How Not to Age
Dietary fiberReduces risk of
Systematic review and meta-analysis (Threapleton 2013) showing dietary fibre intake reduces cardiovascular disease risk | Lancet systematic reviews and meta-analyses on carbohydrate quality and health
Source: How Not to Age
Omega-3 fatty acidsReduces risk of
Multiple large RCTs (Bowman 2018, Manson 2019, Nicholls 2020) found limited or no benefit of omega-3 supplements for CVD prevention
Source: How Not to Age
Coenzyme Q10Addresses
Meta-analysis (Banach 2015) showed CoQ10 not effective for statin-induced myopathy despite claims
Source: How Not to Age
HDL CholesterolProtects against
APOE is involved in regulation of lipids and levels of HDL, or high density lipoprotein; high levels of HDL (the 'good cholesterol') are associated with better cardiovascular health and increased lifespan.
Source: How We Age
ArginineProtects against
Arginine can contribute to reduced risk of endothelial dysfunction-associated cardiovascular risk with aging (Heffernan et al. 2010)
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Vitamin B12Protects against
Low vitamin B12 levels were found to increase blood pressure, contributing to cardiovascular diseases. A decrease in B12 concentration can result in hyperhomocysteinemia.
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Vitamin CProtects against
Low levels of vitamin C have been associated with high blood pressure, endothelial dysfunction, heart disease, atherosclerosis, and stroke.
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
SeleniumProtects against
Potential health benefits of Se status in older populations include reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and overall mortality.
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
PhytoestrogensProtects against
Phytoestrogens protect against various age-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and bone diseases, cancers, and cognitive function.
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
AnthocyaninsProtects against
Anthocyanins help prevent heart diseases by improving cholesterol and blood sugar levels
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Beta-caroteneProtects against
Beta-carotene provides effective protection against cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
LycopeneProtects against
Lycopene has protective effect on cardiovascular system, positive effect on neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
ButyrateReduces risk of
Butyrate reduces propensity towards cardiovascular diseases and cancers
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
ResveratrolReduces risk of
Resveratrol exerts neuro- and cardioprotection effects, prevents cancer, and ameliorates the ageing process. These effects are supported in clinical trials
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
GenisteinProtects against
Genistein from soybean and soy-based foods has cardioprotective effects; protects from diabetes and cancer
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
AntioxidantsProtects against
Antioxidants give protection from oxidative stress which helps in prevention of heart diseases, cancer, arthritis, stroke, respiratory diseases and immune deficiency
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
SpermidineProtects against
Spermidine has a cardioprotective effect; lowers blood pressure and has a vasoprotective effect
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Vitamin K2Protects against
Vitamin K2 prevents calcium redistribution into blood vessels and the risk of calcification. Produced by the gut microbiota
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Vitamin EReduces risk of
Vitamin E reduces oxidative stress and inflammation during cardiovascular events; deficiency is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
QuercetinReduces risk of
150 mg/day
Quercetin supplementation offered beneficial effect against some risk factors of cardiovascular disease.
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
EPAReduces risk of
4 grams pharmaceutical-grade EPA
Ethyl eicosapentaenoic acid (Vascepa), consisting of four grams of pharmaceutical-grade EPA, has FDA approval to reduce LDL in patients with elevated triglycerides
Source: Outlive
Ethyl Eicosapentaenoic Acid (Vascepa)Reduces risk of
Ethyl eicosapentaenoic acid (Vascepa) is a prescription omega-3 used as a lipid-lowering medication for cardiovascular risk reduction
Source: Outlive
Dietary NitratesImproves
improves endothelial function
Source: The How Not to Age Cookbook
Vitamin DReduces risk of
Vitamin D deficiency associated with increased risk for cardiovascular diseases
Source: The Longevity Diet
Monounsaturated FatsReduces risk of
Intake of mono- and polyunsaturated fats associated with reduced cardiovascular disease
Source: The Longevity Diet
Polyunsaturated fatsReduces risk of
Source: The Longevity Diet
CarotenoidsReduces risk of
carotenoids, which are proven to help reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease
Source: The Young Forever Cookbook

Risk Factors

Foods and compounds that may contribute to Cardiovascular Disease.

TMAO
Promotes atherosclerosis; makes blood platelets stickier; quadruples odds of dying from stroke | Intestinal microbial metabolism of phosphatidylcholine and L-carnitine produces TMAO increasing cardiovascular risk
Source: How Not to Age
Salt
Excessive sodium intake assaults blood vessels; identified as a top dietary risk factor in the Global Burden of Disease study
Source: How Not to Age
Calcium
Calcium supplements may increase cardiovascular risk; dietary calcium from food preferred over supplements for bone health
Source: How Not to Age
Eggs
Egg and cholesterol consumption associated with cardiovascular mortality in US population-based cohort study
Source: How Not to Age
Saturated fat
AHA Presidential Advisory (Sacks 2017): dietary fats and cardiovascular disease; saturated fat replacement recommended
Source: How Not to Age
Trans fat
Both industrial and ruminant trans fats adversely affect LDL cholesterol (Gebauer 2015; Stender 2015)
Source: How Not to Age
Dietary cholesterol
Zhong 2019: dietary cholesterol or egg consumption associated with incident cardiovascular disease and mortality
Source: How Not to Age
Sugar
Studies in the 1950s of dietary factors correlating with high rates of cardiovascular mortality led to a link with added dietary sugars. The sugar industry systematically covered up data showing sugar is unhealthy.; Sugar link to cardiovascular disease; the sugar industry suppressed research showing this connection (Kearns et al. 2016)
Source: How We Age
Protein
Protein in diet linked to cardiovascular disease; low carbohydrate-high protein diet associated with mortality in Swedish women (Lagiou et al. 2007)
Source: How We Age
Sugar
Cardiovascular disease mortality risk is increased 1.3-fold and 2.75-fold as a result of added sugar intake at 10-24.9% and >=25% of energy (Yang et al. 2014)
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Trans fat
Various health-detrimental effects of trans fatty acids have been extensively documented; industrially-produced TFA during partial hydrogenation studied most
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Homocysteine
A complete shift to vegan/vegetarian diets may not be recommended considering the risk of Vit-B12 deficiency and elevating homocysteine levels
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Homocysteine
Homocysteine is broken down by B vitamins, which is why deficiency in B vitamins can raise homocysteine; Homocysteine is listed as a metabolic biomarker and cardiovascular risk factor
Source: Outlive
TMAO
Source: The How Not to Age Cookbook
Saturated fat
Animal-protein intake usually associated with saturated animal fats, linked to CVD
Source: The Longevity Diet
Coconut Oil
American Heart Association includes coconut oil among potentially harmful foods due to saturated fat content
Source: The Longevity Diet
Saturated fat
Diet rich in saturated and trans fats increased cardiovascular disease in Barcelona study follow-up
Source: The Longevity Diet
Trans fat
Source: The Longevity Diet
Red Meat
High intake of red meat and fat correlates with elevated risk of heart disease in women
Source: The Longevity Diet
C-reactive protein (CRP)
Important inflammatory risk factor for cardiovascular disease
Source: The Longevity Diet
LDL Cholesterol
Source: The Longevity Diet
Triglycerides
Source: The Longevity Diet
Sodium (excess)
Source: The Longevity Diet

Biological Mechanisms

Contributes toRaises LDL Cholesterol
Higher LDL cholesterol is causally linked to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (Ference 2015); atherosclerosis probably would not occur without it (Libby 2021)

Recipes That May Help

Sources

How Not to Age
How Not to Die
How We Age
Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Outlive
The How Not to Age Cookbook
The Longevity Diet
The Young Forever Cookbook