protect your heart.
Researchers in Japan have discovered that ferulic acid—a plant-based antioxidant—can help relax heart arteries and may even prevent serious heart problems like chest pain and heart attacks.
The team, led by Dr. Kento Yoshioka, Dr. Keisuke Obara, and Professor Yoshio Tanaka from Toho University, studied how ferulic acid affects the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.
When these arteries suddenly tighten, a condition known as coronary artery spasm can occur. This can cause chest pain, also called angina, or even lead to heart attacks.
Finding ways to prevent or reduce these spasms is important for protecting heart health.
To investigate, the scientists used pig coronary arteries, which are very similar to human heart arteries.
They discovered that ferulic acid was able to calm down the arteries and reduce the tightening effect caused by certain chemicals.
What’s exciting is that ferulic acid worked in two ways. First, it stopped calcium from entering the muscle cells of the arteries. Calcium normally plays a key role in muscle contraction, including in the heart. By blocking this process, ferulic acid helped keep the arteries relaxed.
Second, even when calcium wasn’t involved, the compound still prevented the arteries from tightening. It did this by stopping a specific protein, called myosin light chain, from becoming active.
This protein is necessary for muscles to contract, so by blocking it, ferulic acid added an extra layer of protection.
In some cases, the researchers even found that ferulic acid worked better than a commonly used heart medication called diltiazem, which is often prescribed to relax blood vessels and treat chest pain.
Because ferulic acid is found in plants and already considered safe to eat, the team believes it could be used in the future as a heart-friendly food ingredient or even form the basis for new natural medications.
This discovery is still in the early stages, but it highlights the potential for natural compounds in our diet to support heart health.
While more studies are needed, this research offers hope that simple foods like rice and coffee may one day play a bigger role in preventing heart problems.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about top 10 foods for a healthy heart, and how to eat right for heart rhythm disorders.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat your way to cleaner arteries, and salt and heart health: does less really mean more?
Source: Toho University.
