Preventing diseases of civilisation: focus on cardiovascular disease

Faced with a patient with a chronic disease, the reason for the consultation almost always hides the same major pathophysiological mechanisms, which medicine compartmentalised by specialty too often leaves aside. This training invites you to understand them one by one, then apply them concretely to cardiovascular prevention, to move from a reading centred on cholesterol alone to a global, micronutritional and genuinely personalised approach.

What you will learn

• Identify and investigate the major mechanisms that pave the way for chronic diseases, systematically starting with the gut ecosystem and its four players (microbiota, mucus, mucosa and hyperpermeability, immune system).
• Understand and modulate chronic low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress, from NF-kB to kinase activity modulators, including fatty acid balance and the AA-to-EPA ratio.
• Link together carbonyl stress and insulin resistance, acid-base balance, hepatic detoxification, mitochondrial function and cellular senescence, to reason as a map rather than organ by organ.
• Revisit the cholesterol paradigm by looking at LDL oxidation, and work on the real cardiovascular levers of the omega-3 index, membrane rigidity and platelet aggregation.
• Spot the often overlooked independent risk factors, such as lipoprotein(a), TMAO and homocysteine, and know what to offer for each.
• Build dietary recommendations and supplementation tailored to each patient's budget, drawing on detailed clinical cases and the interpretation of real assessments.

On the programme

• The gut ecosystem at the heart of management: exploring the microbiota, the mucus and FUT2 polymorphism, intestinal hyperpermeability (LBP, IgG, zonulin), prebiotics, probiotics and rebalancing strategies.
• Chronic low-grade inflammation: signalling pathways, turmeric and green tea, fatty acid balance, long-chain omega-3 EPA and DHA, GLA and DGLA, caution on palmitic acid and trans fatty acids.
• Oxidative stress: antioxidant enzymes and their cofactors, glutathione, alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, and the logic of antioxidant recycling.
• Carbonyl stress and insulin resistance: glycated haemoglobin, glycation, advanced products, L-carnosine and micronutritional levers.
• Acid-base balance, hepatic detoxification, mitochondria and cellular senescence: sodium-potassium balance and PRAL, detoxification phases and homocysteine, mitochondrial support, senolytics.
• The cardiovascular FOCUS: atherosclerosis and LDL oxidation, erythrocyte fatty acid profile and omega-3 index, metabolic syndrome and metabolic endotoxaemia, lipoprotein(a), TMAO, homocysteine, support of the patient on statins, vitamins D, K2, A and E, glutathione, nattokinase and resveratrol.
• The dietary model and lifestyle: Cretan-inspired Mediterranean diet, choice of oils, intermittent fasting and a low-carb approach according to the profile, sleep, stress management, getting moving again and smoking cessation.
• Putting it into practice: several commented clinical cases, with reading of assessments, choice of biomarkers and construction of the protocol.

Who it is for

This training is for healthcare professionals who wish to integrate micronutrition and functional medicine into their practice: pharmacists, doctors, as well as practitioners supporting patients in health prevention. It suits beginners discovering these mechanisms as well as more experienced practitioners wishing to review and refine their protocols.

At the end of the training

You will be able to link your patient's clinical picture to the major pathophysiological mechanisms at play, choose the relevant biological assessments and interpret their results. You will be able to build a coherent strategy combining dietary recommendations, lifestyle and targeted supplementation, adapting it to each person's profile and budget. You will approach cardiovascular prevention globally, in addition to conventional medical follow-up, rather than through the cholesterol level alone.