**1. Introduction**

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, is the leading killer in Western Society and its prevalence is increasing dramatically in developing nations [1]. 

Atherothrombotic disease is the consequence of conventional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance and diabetes, and obesity. Novel risk factors include highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and other markers of inflammation, homocysteine, and lipoprotein (a) [2].

Along with genetic factors and age, lifestyle and diet are also considered important risk factors. Reduction in dietary consumption of animal fat, cholesterol, and sodium should be the mainstay of population-wide CHD prevention [3]. Dietary interventions should be the initial step in the treatment of CVD. In particular, a group of phytochemical substances in carotenoids which is responsible for the color of food play an important role in the prevention of human diseases and the maintenance of good health [4]. 
