ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) encompass a broad range of diseases involving the heart, brain, and blood vessels that together are the leading cause of death worldwide, killing more people around the globe than any other cause of death. Smoking, overweight, hypertension, high plasma cholesterol levels, and diabetes mellitus are risk factors for CVD (Mendis et al. 2011). Pathogenic pathways activated by an unhealthy diet and unfavorable lifestyles that could lead to CVD are illustrated in Figure 6.1.
