RESOLving INflammation Through Diet for Health (RESOLVIN)

Hyperlipidemia is the main driver of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), both through direct effects and as trigger of the chronic inflammation behind a cardiovascular health-to-disease transition. While lipid-lowering is an effective way to reduce the ASCVD risk, the residual risk remains high. In addition, a substantial proportion of ASCVD events occur in the absence of overt hyperlipidemia. Several lines of evidence ranging from experimental models to population studies and interventional clinical trials support chronic inflammation as the causal residual risk of CVD. The CVD risk-associated lipid classes contain fatty acids that can be liberated and metabolized into both inflammation-promoting as well as inflammation-resolving drivers, providing the rationale for focusing on this balance in the present project. Above all, the omega-3 fatty acid class can resolve inflammation but the potential impact is currently largely underestimated in CVD preventive recommendations. As cardiovascular preventive measures ease the burden placed on the individual, population, and on the health care system, it is critical to raise public awareness for chronic inflammation as a causative and modifiable cardiovascular risk factor and to provide tools for how to control and monitor it. As an alternative to marine sources, principally eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and less docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can be endogenously produced from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) found in plant oils. Secondarily the possibility to increase the consumption of vegetable oil may possibly decrease the environmental impacts of an intensive fishing and consecutive marine system imbalance. The overarching objective of CARE-IN-HEALTH is to assess if PUFAs may contribute to the resolution of the chronic lipid-driven/-regulated vascular inflammation in order to develop and test, in a real-life setting, tools for use in health care and by citizens to stay healthy by an adequate resolution of the chronic i