Atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, and peripheral vascular disease, is the leading cause of global mortality. Current therapies against atherosclerosis, which mostly target the dyslipidemia associated with the disease, have considerable residual risk for cardiovascular disease together with various side effects. In addition, the outcomes from clinical trials on many promising pharmaceutical agents against atherosclerosis (e.g., low‐dose methotrexate, inhibitors against cholesteryl ester transfer protein) have been disappointing. Nutraceuticals such as probiotic bacteria have, therefore, generated substantial recent interest for the prevention of atherosclerosis and potentially as add‐ons with current pharmaceutical drugs. This review will discuss the current understanding of the anti‐atherogenic actions of probiotics from preclinical and clinical studies together with their potential underlying mechanisms of action.

中文翻译：

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益生菌在预防和治疗动脉粥样硬化中的潜力。

动脉粥样硬化是心血管疾病（如心肌梗塞，脑血管意外和周围血管疾病）的根本原因，是全球死亡率的主要原因。当前针对动脉粥样硬化的疗法主要针对与该疾病有关的血脂异常，它具有相当大的心血管疾病残留风险以及各种副作用。此外，许多针对动脉粥样硬化的有前景药物（例如低剂量甲氨蝶呤，胆固醇酯转移蛋白抑制剂）的临床试验结果令人失望。因此，诸如益生菌之类的营养食品对预防动脉粥样硬化产生了极大的兴趣，并且有可能作为当前药物的附加成分。