Diet, lifestyle and cardiovascular diseases: Linking pathophysiology to cardioprotective effects of natural bioactive compounds

Heart and blood vessels disorders comprise one of the main causes of death worldwide. Pharmacologically active natural compounds have been used as a complementary therapy in cardiovascular disease around the world in a traditional way. Dietary, natural bioactive compounds, as well as healthy lifestyles, are considered to prevent coronary artery diseases. Pre-clinical and clinical studies reported that consumption of plant-food bioactive derivatives including polyphenolic compounds, peptides, oligosaccharides, vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids possess protective effects on cardiovascular diseases. This review aims to summarize the cardiovascular risk factors, pre-clinical studies and clinical trials related to cardioprotective properties of the plant-food-derived bioactive compounds. Molecular mechanisms by the natural bioactive compounds exert their cardiovascular protective properties have also been highlighted.Acknowledgments: N. Martins would like to thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT–Portugal) for the Strategic project ref. UID/BIM/04293/2013 and “NORTE2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte” (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012) and C. F. Rodrigues for the UID/EQU/00511/2019 Project—Laboratory of Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology, and Energy—LEPABE financed by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). N. Martins would like to thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-Portugal) for the Strategic project ref. UID/BIM/04293/2013 and ?NORTE2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte? (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012) and C. F. Rodrigues for the UID/EQU/00511/2019 Project-Laboratory of Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology, and Energy-LEPABE financed by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC)