Prehispanic Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals in the Treatment of Dyslipidemia Associated to Cardiovascular Disease: a Mini-Review

Dyslipidemia is an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, which are responsible for a large number of mortality and disability cases around the globe. Different strategies have been used within the treatment of dyslipidemia, including lifestyle modifications, pharmacologic therapy, as well as functional foods and nutraceuticals. Functional foods have been used worldwide since ancient times, particularly, the prehispanic civilizations utilized several as medicinal foods. In the current pandemic of dyslipidemia as well as the nutritional transition, particularly in Latin America, the use of native functional foods represents an attractive target for the treatment and/or prevention of these conditions. In this mini-review, evidence regarding different functional foods such as cacao, amaranth, chia, nopal, spirulina, as well as their nutraceutical compounds, including flavonoids, omega-3 PUFAs, fiber, prebiotics, lovastatin, c-phycocyanin, among others, and their mechanism of action are presented and discussed. Although such foods certainly are considered as attractive potential agents to target dyslipidemia thus decrease the associated cardiometabolic risk, we conclude that for most of the presented functional foods there is currently not enough evidence to support its recommendation and every-day use.