Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In the United States, it is responsible for about one in four deaths. One of the most serious types is coronary artery disease, which occurs when plaque builds up inside the arteries, making it harder for blood to reach the heart. If left untreated, it can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Scientists are always looking for ways to understand and prevent this disease. Now, a team of researchers at the University of Virginia Health has made a discovery that could lead to better treatments. Their study focuses on certain cells in blood vessels and how they may unexpectedly contribute to the disease.
How Blood Vessel Cells Can Turn Harmful
The walls of blood vessels contain smooth muscle cells, which help keep arteries strong and flexible. In healthy arteries, these cells form a protective layer over plaque, preventing it from breaking apart and causing dangerous blockages.
However, researchers have found that these same cells can sometimes do the opposite—instead of protecting blood vessels, they can encourage plaque growth, making coronary artery disease worse. Scientists have long wondered why this switch happens.
The Role of Sugar and Nitrogen in Heart Disease
To investigate this mystery, a research team led by Dr. Mete Civelek and his student Noah Perry studied smooth muscle cells from heart transplant donors. They were searching for genes that might control the way these cells behave.
Their findings suggest a connection between how these cells process nitrogen and glycogen, a type of sugar that the body stores for energy. If something goes wrong in this process, it may trigger changes that make heart disease worse.
One specific sugar, mannose, caught the researchers’ attention. They believe it could play a role in the harmful changes seen in smooth muscle cells. However, more research is needed to fully understand how mannose affects heart disease.
Why This Discovery Is Important
If scientists can figure out what causes smooth muscle cells to turn harmful, they may be able to develop new treatments to stop this process. This could lead to better ways to prevent and treat coronary artery disease.
Dr. Civelek explains that while current treatments, like cholesterol-lowering drugs and blood pressure medication, help reduce heart disease risk, they are not enough to fully prevent the disease. Finding new treatment targets is essential for improving heart health.
The research team, including Perry, Diana Albarracin, and Redouane Aherrahrou, is continuing to study how these cellular changes happen. Their goal is to discover new ways to slow down or stop heart disease, potentially helping millions of people.
Steps You Can Take for a Healthier Heart
While scientists search for better treatments, there are already steps people can take to lower their risk of heart disease. Studies suggest that:
- Vitamin D may help reduce inflammation, which plays a role in heart disease.
- Vitamin K has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease by as much as one-third.
- Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and managing stress can also help keep the heart healthy.
New research continues to reveal more about how lifestyle choices affect heart health. In the meantime, this latest study provides new insights that may lead to groundbreaking treatments in the future.
The findings were published in Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and calcium supplements could harm your heart health.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that blackcurrants can reduce blood sugar after meal and results showing how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer.
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