Preventing Cardiovascular Disease. Complementary precision medicine.

Background: Non-communicable diseases are the number one killer worldwide and the leading one,cardiovascular disease (CVD), is responsible for more than 30% of all deaths. CVD is a progressive disease whichalso makes it economical, easy and effective to prevent. There are many stages of CVD that ultimately can lead tocoronary atherosclerosis, measurable as coronary artery calcification (CAC) score by cardiac computed tomography(CT). Before coronary atherosclerosis develops there are many stages of the process: inflammation, reducedendothelial function, hypertension and impaired microcirculation. Precision medicine is a popular novelty inmedicine that combines well-established results and medical history with computer science and novel biomedicalinformation.Aims: The aims of the study were: (I) to evaluate whether aged garlic extract (AGE) can influence CAC and topredict the individual effect of AGE; (II) to assess the effect of long-term treatment with AGE on cutaneous tissueperfusion; (III) to evaluate whether a daily supplement of AGE could reduce inflammation in females with low risk ofcardiovascular disease; (IV) to assess the effect of long-term treatment with AGE on peripheral tissue perfusion inpatients with confirmed atherosclerosis; and (V) to validate a prediction model to explore whether an individualpatient will have a positive effect of AGE on their CAC score and blood pressure.Methods: Studies I-IV were single-centre parallel randomised controlled studies. Patients were randomised, in adouble-blind manner, through a computer-generated randomisation chart to an intake of placebo or AGE (2400 mgdaily) for 12 months. In Study I a prediction model was developed using a cross-industry standard process for datamining and in Study V this method for developing prediction models was validated in a new cohort.The cohort usedwas pooled from previously published studies in the USA.Results: There was a significant change in CAC progression (OR: 2.95 [1.05–8.27]), in favour of the AGE group.The developed ...