Abstract
Recent changes in dietary habits and insufficient physical activity are associated with the increase of lifestyle-related risk factors such as dyslipidemia and obesity. Hypercholesterolemia is associated with endothelial dysfunction and reduced endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation in cerebral arteries. Furthermore, visceral fat accumulation is independently associates with the presence of cerebral small vessel disease. Visceral fat releases several bioactive mediators, such as adiponectin and inflammatory cytokines, that influence inflammation and coagulation, resulting in endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Because the prevalence of obesity in children and youth has increased, the role of lifestyle-related risk factors in cerebrovascular disease is expected to be more important in the future. Improvement of endothelial dysfunction caused by lifestyle-related risk factors could be one of the effective treatments for the prevention of cerebrovascular disease.
