A mineral that the body needs in tiny amounts may have an unexpected effect on heart health.
In experiments with mice, scientists found that carefully increasing manganese could lower unhealthy fats in the blood and even shrink fatty plaques inside arteries.
These plaques are a major part of a condition called atherosclerosis. Over many years, cholesterol, fat and other materials can collect in artery walls, making the arteries narrower and less flexible.
Atherosclerosis can develop quietly without obvious symptoms. If a plaque breaks open, a blood clot may form and suddenly block blood flow, which can cause a heart attack or stroke.
High levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood make this process more likely. Doctors often use medicines such as statins to lower cholesterol and reduce the chance of serious heart problems, but completely reversing existing artery plaques remains difficult.
Researchers from Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences wanted to know whether manganese could offer another way to control blood fats. Manganese is an essential mineral involved in several normal body processes, including metabolism, bone formation and the work of important enzymes.
The scientists tested different amounts of dietary manganese in mouse models with abnormal blood-fat levels and atherosclerosis. They found that changing the manganese supply could change the amount of fat circulating in the animals’ blood.
In mice with high blood-fat levels, increasing manganese reduced both cholesterol and triglycerides. More strikingly, imaging of the animals showed a significant reversal of atherosclerotic plaques after manganese levels were increased through the diet.
The researchers believe the effect is connected to the way the body moves fat from cells into the bloodstream. Because fats do not dissolve easily in blood, they are packaged into particles called lipoproteins before being released into circulation.
A group of proteins known as COPII helps transport these fat-containing packages inside cells. Earlier work by the researchers suggested that manganese can change how this transport machinery comes together, which in turn affects how much fat enters the bloodstream.
The relationship was not simply a case of more manganese always producing a stronger effect. Instead, the researchers found that manganese could fine-tune the transport system, allowing blood-fat levels to be adjusted by changing the amount supplied to the animals.
The findings are promising because lowering harmful blood fats while also reducing existing plaques could attack two important parts of heart disease at the same time. However, the experiments were performed in mice, so scientists do not yet know whether the same approach would be effective or safe in people.
This is especially important because manganese is necessary for health but too much can be harmful. High exposure over time can damage the nervous system, so the findings should not be taken as a reason to start taking manganese supplements to prevent heart disease.
Researchers will need further studies to understand the safest dose, possible side effects and whether the treatment works in humans. Human clinical trials would ultimately be needed before a manganese-based treatment could become part of routine heart care.
The research, titled “Manganese therapy for dyslipidemia and plaque reversal in murine models,” was published in the journal Life Metabolism. It appeared in Volume 2, Issue 6, with advance online publication on October 26, 2023.
For now, proven ways to protect the heart remain important. Keeping cholesterol and blood pressure under control, avoiding smoking, exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet and taking prescribed medicines as directed can all help reduce cardiovascular risk.
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