Inflammation and Chronic Diseases : the polar lipid link

Despite the fact that cholesterol is not related to inflammation and the onset of chronic diseases, the focus of scientists and practitioners is still on cholesterol and medical ways to control it (statins). Over the past few years a new school of thought is getting stronger: it's not cholesterol but inflammation that causes chronic diseases. Therefore, the key to reducing the incidence of chronic diseases is to control the activities of Platelet Activating Factor (PAF) and other inflammatory mediators via diet, exercise, and healthy lifestyle choices. Polar lipids present in foods can play a key role via their anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory bioactivities. In this paper, we present our latest data on polar lipids of dairy and marine origin against inflammation and strategies for designing novel nutraceuticals and functional foods against chronic diseases.