Lipid Intake and Atherosclerosis

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Abstract
The importance of diet in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis is well known. Among the different nutrients, lipids certainly have a primary role. Dietary cholesterol can influence the progression of atherosclerosis by increasing cholesterol levels or by modifying the composition of lipoproteins. Epidemiological and clinical studies have clearly demonstrated a relationship between the intake of saturated fatty acids and atherosclerosis. Among these fatty acids, stearic acid has the smallest effect on cholesterol levels. Until a few years ago it was thought that monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) did not affect lipoprotein metabolism. However, very recently it has been shown that MUFA have the same hypocho-lesterolemic effect as polyunsaturated fatty acids; moreover they do not induce a decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Therefore the overall metabolic effect of MUFA seems to be beneficial.

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