Nutrigenetics and Dyslipidemia

Dyslipidemia is an abnormal amount of lipids (abnormality in any of the lipoprotein fractions), especially elevated Low Density Lipoprotein (LDLs) and decreased High Density Lipoprotein (HDLs) in the blood (Shalileh et al., 2009). In developed countries, most dyslipidemias are hyperlipidemias; that is, an elevation of lipids in the blood, are often due to diet and lifestyle (Wikipedia., 2011; Shalileh et al., 2009). According to the Katharina studie’s, elevated cholesterol levels and dyslipoproteinemia are metabolic abnormalities that are becoming increasingly significant in industrialized countries, but also worldwide (Shalileh et al., 2009). There is a proportional increase in the risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) with rising serum cholesterol levels (Shalileh et al., 2009). Dyslipidaemia is an important risk factor for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) (Masson & McNeili., 2005). CVD is a common killer in both the Western and the developing world and is the leading cause of death globally (Lovegrove & Gitau., 2008). More people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause. An estimated 17. 1 million people died from CVDs in 2004, representing 29%of all global deaths. Of these deaths, an estimated 7. 2 million were due to CHD and 5. 7 million were due to stroke. By 2030, almost 23. 6 million people will die from CVDs, mainly from heart disease and stroke (WHO. 2011). Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of CHD and related mortality (Debra., 2008; Shalileh et al., 2009) .Endothelial dysfunction initiates atherosclerosis (Shalileh et al., 2009) . The first observable event in the process of atherosclerosis is the accumulation of plaque (cholesterol from low-density lipoproteins, calcium, and fibrin) in the endothelium in large and medium arteries (Debra., 2008). One of the factors that causes endothelial dysfunction is dyslipidemia (Shalileh et al., 2009).