Lipid Oxidation Products in Food and Atherogenesis

Lipid oxidation products are present in unknown amounts in the food supply of industrialized societies. Evidence for a putative role of some of these compounds in accelerating events in the atherogenic process--the initiation of endothelial injury, the accumulation of plaque, and the termination phase of thrombosis--comes from both animal and human studies. Although metabolic and epidemiological studies in humans and animals generally support the concept that a higher intake of polyunsaturates is beneficial to lipoprotein metabolism and cardiovascular health, some findings suggest that a diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids that are insufficiently protected by antioxidants, such as vitamin E, may carry a higher risk of atherosclerosis. Although gross pathological effects of ingestion of lipid oxidation products are unlikely in the human feeding situation, more subtle metabolic actions of these compounds on vitamin E status, platelet activity, and lipoprotein metabolism cannot yet be discounted. The presence of reactive lipid oxidation components in foods needs more systematic research in terms of the metabolic effects of these compounds and their occurrence in the usual diet, as well as the associated antioxidant requirements.