Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. This includes serious health problems like heart attacks and strokes. For many years, doctors have tried to reduce the risk of heart disease by treating conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
They also give patients medicine like aspirin or statins, which help to lower cholesterol and prevent blood clots. These treatments have helped save lives, but heart disease is still very common. Many people continue to suffer from it, even when they follow medical advice. It’s like putting out a fire that keeps coming back.
Now, researchers at the University of Michigan may have found a new piece of the puzzle. They have been studying a protein in the body called suPAR. This protein might help explain why heart disease is still so hard to control, even when we treat other risk factors.
The protein suPAR stands for soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor, but you don’t need to remember that long name. What’s important is what it does. SuPAR is made in the bone marrow and travels through the bloodstream.
It helps the immune system stay alert, kind of like a thermostat that turns up the heat when there’s an infection. But too much suPAR can be harmful. When levels are high, suPAR can lead to inflammation and damage blood vessels. This damage can cause a condition called atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is when the arteries—the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients throughout the body—become hard and narrow. This happens because fat, cholesterol, and other substances build up on the walls of the arteries. Over time, these build-ups (called plaques) can block blood flow, leading to heart attacks or strokes.
In their research, the Michigan scientists first studied more than 5,000 people who didn’t have heart disease yet.
They found that those with higher suPAR levels were more likely to develop atherosclerosis and heart problems, even if they didn’t have high cholesterol or other known risks. This was a big finding because it suggested that suPAR might be a hidden factor causing heart disease.
Next, they looked at the genes of 24,000 people. They discovered that some people have a version of a gene that makes them produce more suPAR. These people were also more likely to develop heart disease.
When the researchers checked even larger groups—about 500,000 people in total—they saw the same pattern. High suPAR levels, whether from genes or other causes, were linked to more heart problems.
The scientists also ran experiments on mice. Mice with high suPAR levels developed more plaque in their arteries than normal mice. This showed that suPAR doesn’t just go along with heart disease—it may actually cause it.
This is important because current treatments for heart disease don’t lower suPAR levels. That means suPAR could be a new target for future medicine. Researchers are now trying to figure out how to reduce suPAR in a safe way. If they succeed, it could lead to new treatments for heart disease, especially for people who don’t respond well to existing drugs.
The study also found that suPAR is connected to kidney disease. About one in seven Americans have kidney disease, and many of them also have heart disease.
In fact, two-thirds of people with kidney problems also have heart issues, and more than 40% of people with heart disease show signs of kidney damage. The research shows that suPAR might be the missing link between these two common diseases.
The study was led by Dr. Salim Hayek and published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. It helps us see how different parts of the body are connected. By looking at the big picture—and not just one problem at a time—scientists may be able to find better ways to treat and prevent diseases that affect millions of people.
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?
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