Health Risk Assessment of Dietary Carbohydrates in Chronic Disease Development

The most frequent cause of death in both women and men in the western world is cardiovascular artery disease (CAD). Well accepted as a lifestyle disease, known risk factors for CAD development include changes in blood lipid content and type as well as micro inflammation in the arterial wall. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides are increased, high density lipoprotein (HDL) is reduced. Furthermore, type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, overweight, reduced physical activity and smoking also precede CAD development. Common for many of the risk factors is that they are induced by improper diet. Recent research has shown that especially total amount, composition and quality of the macro nutrients, protein, carbohydrate and fats, is important. In this project we will explore changes in blood gene expression in response to a western and a balanced crossover diet intervention.