Grant: Operating Grant

Blockages in the arteries are the primary cause of both stroke and heart disease, the leading causes of death and disability in the world today. The more that we can understand about how the vessels get blocked, the better we will be able to treat, prevent and/or delay their occurrence. Recent data would suggest that dietary interventions may be far more powerful to protect the body from cardiovascular disease than any drug treatment available. Dietary interventions, however, not only treat a pre-existing disease but also delay or prevent the occurrence of atherosclerotic disease. Supplementation of the diet with omega-3 fatty acids found in fish has been used to alter cardiovascular disease. However, dietary compliance for fish supplementation has been a problem. Fortunately, an alternative, tasty source of omega-3 fatty acids exists in flax. The purpose of this study is to determine if flax supplementation of the diet will retard the development of blockages in arteries that lead to heart attacks and stroke. Alternatively, we will also investigate if a different kind of fat, trans fats, can induce these blockages. Our study, therefore, will identify two compounds that may directly protect or advance heart disease. The data will directly address the need for further work to advance our dietary recommendations for the prevention of heart disease and stroke.