**1. Introduction**

Globally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 73% of all death with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) as the main contributors of cardiovascular mortality in 2017 [1]. Cardiovascular, respiratory as well as associated disorders (CVRDs) are predominant subgroup of NCDs and are major causes of morbidity and mortality in developing and developed countries. In 2012, it was estimated that 55.9 million people died around the world and NCDs accounted for 37.9 million of those deaths. Specifically, CVRDs led to 23.9 million deaths [2]. **Table 1** shows the impact of CVRDs on the total deaths in different countries based on the income group. Cardiovascular diseases killed 17.5 million; respiratory diseases led to 4.0 million deaths; diabetes mellitus to 1.5 million and diseases related to kidney accounted for 864 000 deaths, respectively [4]. In addition, NCDs account for about 35% (around 2.6 million) of all deaths in sub-Saharan Africa and this makes NCDs the second most common cause of death after a combination of communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional related diseases [5]. Researchers


*Note: CVRD = Cardiovascular, respiratory, and related disorder, CVDs = Cardiovascular diseases, DM = Diabetes mellitus, RD = Respiratory disorder. [2, 3].*

#### **Table 1.**

*Impact of CVRDs on the total deaths in different countries based on the income group in 2012. Thousands, unless otherwise noted.*

estimate that more than three-quarters of deaths will be due to NCDs by the end of 2030 and more deaths in developing countries will be attributed to CVDs alone than contagious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS [6].

Cardiovascular diseases are complex and composite diseases that are characterised by high serum lipids and triglycerides, cholesterol, elevated plasma fibrinogen and agglomeration factors with increased production of platelet as well as disturbance in metabolism of glucose [7, 8]. They are a broad category of diseases involving the heart and blood vessels causing coronary artery diseases such as angina which can lead to heart attack, heart failure, hypertensive heart diseases, stroke, and many other problems. [9]. Cardiovascular diseases are still the leading cause of mortality globally leading to 12.3 million and 17.6 million deaths in 1990 and 2016, respectively [10–12]. Stroke and coronary artery disease result in of 80% and 75% CVD deaths in male and females, respectively [12].

Various epidemiological studies have demonstrated that diet habits and healthy life style might prevent chronic diseases such as CVDs but poor habits aggravate these diseases [8, 13]. Individuals that consume large amount of fruits, vegetables and sea food are less vulnerable to CVDs incidence [14]. The role of dietary factors such as sodium and saturated fats known to increase the risk of CVDs has been substantially explored [15]. The perception that food does not only furnish fundamental nutrition but can also play a role in preventing diseases and assure good health and life is now gaining attention. High intake of food that is calorie dense, poor nutrition, highly processed and easy to absorb food can contribute to inflammation of system, low insulin vulnerability as well as a group of metabolic diseases which include obesity, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus [16]. Food that furnish a health benefits apart from basic nutrition such as reducing high blood total cholesterol as well as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are called functional foods.

#### **2. Risk factors for cardiovascular diseases**

The traditional risk factors for CVDs (**Table 2**) have been extensively researched and the dietary factor is important since it leads to high risk factors for CVDs such

*Role of Functional Food in Treating and Preventing Cardiovascular Diseases DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96614*


#### **Table 2.**

*Risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.*

as hypertension and dyslipidemia. However, the dietary factor phenomenon has not been fully investigated [3]. A 2011 global report indicated that hypertension contributed to 13% of CVDs deaths, tobacco 9%, physical inactivity 6%, diabetes mellitus 6% and obesity 5% of global deaths [19, 20].

## **2.1 Hypertension**

Hypertension is systolic blood pressure values ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure values ≥90 mmHg. The relationship between hypertension and CVDs has been investigated in different studies [21, 22]. Hypertension exhibits an independent interminable relationship with the incidence of various CVDs such as stroke, heart failure and peripheral arterial [23, 24]. Hypertension is commonly without symptoms which silently damage the arteries that furnish the heart, brain, kidneys and other vital organs with blood and produce various structural changes. Various epidemiological, animal and genetic studies have confirmed that excessive intake of sodium increases blood pressure. For example, excessive consumption of sodium (>5 g sodium per day as defined by World Health Organisation) [25] produces a significant rise in hypertension and is associated with the onset of hypertension and its cardiovascular complications [26, 27]. By contrast, low intake of sodium reduces hypertension prevalence and is associated with low cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rate [28]. As a result, a common nutritional plan to minimise the incidence of hypertension includes achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight; consumption of a diet rich in minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium as well as moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages and sodium [29].

#### **2.2 Tobacco use**

There are more than one billion smokers around the world and in 2013, tobacco usage accounted for more than 6.1 million deaths [18]. This estimation covers vulnerability to passive smoking (second hand smoke) which increases CVDs risk by 25 to 30% and public smoking bans substantially decrease the rate of heart attacks [30]. The most smoked form of tobacco is cigarette. More than 80% of tobacco users live in lower middle income countries and this number is expected to increase in the next decade [31]. Most smokers in lower middle income countries are male but this is not the case in high income countries. Early cessation of smoking contributes to substantial lower incidence of reinfarction within 1 year in patients who have had a heart attack and decreases the possibility of instant cardiac death in

patients with CVDs [32]. There are two CVDs challenges associated with the use of tobacco products. Firstly, the rate of smoking is higher in the poorest populations of the world [33] and the second problem is smoking among girls [34]. The risk of IHD to tobacco smokers is 2–3 times higher than non-smokers, stroke is 1.5 times higher and lung cancer is 12 times higher. These risks are related to age gradient, with younger age group having higher relative risk (5–6 times) and these are similar for men and women [35].
