Fig. 1

Flow diagram for the selection of studies. We followed PRISMA guidelines for screening articles in the systematic review. We identified articles via a systematic search of the PubMed database and derived additional records from reference lists of previously identified articles or co-author input. Articles were screened first by title, then by abstract, and finally on explicit inclusion/exclusion criteria. Full-text articles considered eligible for inclusion were categorized based on emphasis of CVD risk factors, biomarkers of immune status and endothelial activation, surrogate CVD outcomes, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke