For many years, doctors have worked to prevent heart disease by controlling diabetes, lowering blood pressure, and reducing cholesterol levels.
Medicines such as aspirin and statins have saved many lives, yet heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States and many other countries. Even people who carefully manage their risk factors can still suffer heart attacks or strokes. This has led scientists to search for other hidden causes of heart disease.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have now identified a new factor that may help explain why heart disease continues to affect so many people. The factor is a protein made by the immune system called suPAR.
This protein plays a major role in a condition known as atherosclerosis, in which arteries become narrow and hard due to plaque buildup. When arteries are blocked, blood cannot flow easily, raising the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Atherosclerosis affects more than a billion people worldwide and is one of the most common causes of heart disease. Doctors have long known that high cholesterol, smoking, and high blood pressure contribute to plaque buildup. However, this new research shows that inflammation driven by the immune system may also be a powerful cause.
SuPAR is produced in the bone marrow and helps control immune activity. When levels of this protein are too high, the immune system remains in a constant state of alert. This ongoing inflammation can damage blood vessels and make plaque buildup more likely.
To study this connection, scientists analyzed health data from more than 5,000 adults who had no history of heart disease. They discovered that people with higher suPAR levels were much more likely to develop atherosclerosis, even when their cholesterol and blood pressure were normal.
The team also examined genetic data from thousands of people and found that a gene called PLAUR controls how much suPAR the body produces. People with certain versions of this gene had higher suPAR levels and a greater risk of artery disease.
The researchers confirmed their findings using genetic analysis of about 500,000 participants from the UK Biobank, a large health database. This analysis showed that suPAR is not only linked to heart disease but can actually cause it.
Experiments in mice supported these results. Mice with high suPAR levels developed more plaque in their arteries than mice with normal levels, proving that the protein directly contributes to artery damage.
This discovery is important because current heart disease treatments do not target suPAR. Medicines that lower cholesterol, such as statins, do not reduce this protein.
Scientists are now working on ways to lower suPAR levels as a new strategy for preventing heart disease. Such treatments could help people who continue to face heart problems despite following medical advice.
The study also suggests a link between heart disease and kidney disease, since high suPAR levels have been associated with both conditions. Many patients suffer from both illnesses at the same time, so treatments that target suPAR might improve overall health.
This research, led by Dr. Salim Hayek and published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, represents a major step forward in understanding heart disease. By uncovering a hidden immune factor behind artery damage, scientists hope to develop better ways to prevent heart attacks and strokes in the future.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
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