ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the rationale for intervening to reduce risk factors for Cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is truly a pandemic and represents the most important cause of death worldwide. As knowledge of the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis has advanced, new understandings have provided crucial linkages to the role of various lifestyle interventions in the reduction of risk of CVD. It is important to differentiate between “relative” and “absolute” risk, since this distinction underlies treatment strategies for risk factor reduction in CVD. Numerous trials have demonstrated that a variety of dyslipidemias or combination of dyslipidemias increase the risk of CVD. A number of prospective cohort studies have also demonstrated an inverse relationship between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk of CVD. The relationship between CVD and inflammation is an area of active research. A variety of other markers of inflammation in addition to C-reactive protein have emerged as potential risk factors for CVD.
