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Nutrients
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Nutrition and Cardiovascular Risk Across the Life Course
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Nutrition and Cardiovascular Risk Across the Life Course

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 2486

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Amber Pirzada

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Minority Health Research, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
Interests: epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular diseases; minority health disparities; cardiovascular risk factors; lifestyle factors; nutritional risk factors
Prof. Dr. Martha L. Daviglus

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Minority Health Research, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
Interests: cardiovascular diseases; epidemiology; geriatric nutrition; women health; heart diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dietary patterns and nutritional factors have been shown to play a key role in the development of CVD, CVD prevention, and the promotion of cardiovascular health.

This Special Issue aims to highlight new research on nutritional/dietary factors associated with cardiovascular risk, including nutrition across the lifespan, biomarkers of nutritional status, mechanistic pathways, the social and environmental contexts of nutritional intake and health disparities, gene–nutrient–environment interactions, dietary interventions, and precision nutrition approaches. It also aims to synthesize existing research in this area for insights on gaps in the knowledge, emerging research areas, and future directions.

We encourage scientists working in this area to submit original research articles, narratives, and systematic reviews that synthesize the current literature and highlight gaps in the current knowledge and emerging research directions. 

Dr. Amber Pirzada
Prof. Dr. Martha L. Daviglus
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dietary patterns
  • nutrient intakes
  • food groups
  • cardiovascular disease
  • coronary heart disease
  • atherosclerosis
  • racial/ethnic disparities
  • mechanistic pathways
  • precision nutrition

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 616 KB  
Article
Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Its Association with LDL-Cholesterol and Subendocardial Viability Ratio in Individuals with Familial Hypercholesterolemia: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Nicoletta Miano, Sabrina Scilletta, Maurizio Di Marco, Stefania Capuccio, Marina Martedì, Marta Coppa, Norbert Tincu, Salvatore Carasi, Caterina Ippolito, Claudia Pistritto, Cecilia Di Stefano, Andrea Scarfia, Christian Pennisi, Giosiana Bosco, Francesco Di Giacomo Barbagallo, Antonino Di Pino, Salvatore Piro and Roberto Scicali
Nutrients 2026, 18(6), 919; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18060919 - 14 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: An intensive lipid-lowering therapy is needed in familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) subjects; however, the adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and its effects have not been fully evaluated in FH subjects. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the MD on [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: An intensive lipid-lowering therapy is needed in familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) subjects; however, the adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and its effects have not been fully evaluated in FH subjects. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the MD on metabolic and vascular profiles in FH subjects. Methods: In this cross-sectional study 253 genetically confirmed FH subjects were included. Adherence to MD was assessed by the validated Pyramid-based MD Score (PyrMDS) and FH subjects were stratified according to the tertiles of PyrMDSs (low, intermediate, and high), with a higher score indicating higher adherence to MD. The lipid profile as well as the subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR), an indirect measure of myocardial perfusion, were assessed in all FH subjects. Results: Compared to the low-PyrMDS group, FH subjects with a high MD adherence showed lower levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (149.7 ± 71.4 vs. 176.7 ± 77.4 mg/dL, p = 0.006). After accounting for lipid-lowering therapies, smoking habit, and arterial hypertension, individuals in the high-PyrMDS group showed higher SEVR than those in the intermediate- and low-PyrMDS groups (167 ± 3.51 [standard error—SE] vs. 150 ± 5.03 [SE] vs. 148 ± 3.75 [SE], all p < 0.01). After adjusting for age, sex, and lipid-lowering therapies, PyrMDS was independently associated with LDL-C (β = −0.11, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Greater adherence to the MD was associated with more favorable metabolic and vascular profiles in FH subjects independent of lipid-lowering therapies. This suggests that MD adherence should be actively promoted in clinical practice alongside pharmacological interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Cardiovascular Risk Across the Life Course)
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Review

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22 pages, 1346 KB  
Review
Beyond Cholesterol Lowering: Clinical Caution, Personalization, and Nutritional Integration in Statin Therapy
by Giovanni Corsetti and Evasio Pasini
Nutrients 2026, 18(5), 722; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18050722 - 24 Feb 2026
Viewed by 1138
Abstract
Background: Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Statins are the cornerstone of LDL-C reduction and are highly effective in secondary prevention. However, their benefit in primary prevention among individuals at low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk [...] Read more.
Background: Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Statins are the cornerstone of LDL-C reduction and are highly effective in secondary prevention. However, their benefit in primary prevention among individuals at low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk remains controversial, and long-term adherence is often limited by adverse effects. Methods: This narrative review summarizes current evidence on the clinical effectiveness of statin therapy, with particular attention paid to the role of nutritional status in modulating statin efficacy, safety, and interpretation of clinical outcomes. Results: In primary prevention the effectiveness of statins in reducing cardiovascular events remains mixed. Furthermore, 20–30% of patients in secondary or high-risk prevention do not achieve clinically meaningful benefits despite adequate LDL-C lowering. More than half of statin-treated patients discontinue therapy within two years, most commonly because of adverse effects, without a corresponding increase in cardiovascular mortality. Emerging evidence suggests that malnutrition and sarcopenia may significantly influence statin pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, thereby affecting both therapeutic response and susceptibility to adverse events. In addition, statin-induced lipid lowering may alter nutrition-related biomarkers, potentially leading to misclassification or overestimation of malnutrition. Conclusions: Although statins remain effective agents for lowering LDL-C, their prescription should be embedded within an individualized, patient-centered approach. Current guidelines provide a robust methodological framework for statin use; however, their application should be contextualized rather than automatic. Optimal effectiveness is achieved when pharmacological therapy is integrated with dietary patterns, nutritional status, and lifestyle factors. Incorporating nutritional assessment into statin management may improve tolerability, enhance clinical outcomes, and enable more accurate cardiovascular risk stratification beyond standardized cholesterol-lowering strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Cardiovascular Risk Across the Life Course)
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