Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death around the world. One of the main reasons is a condition called atherosclerosis.
This disease develops slowly over many years when fatty deposits, known as plaque, build up inside the arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
As plaque grows, the arteries become narrower and harder, making it more difficult for blood to flow. If a plaque suddenly breaks open, a blood clot can form and completely block the artery, causing a heart attack or stroke.
Plaque is made from cholesterol, fat, calcium, inflammatory cells, and other materials that collect inside the artery wall. For many decades, scientists believed that high cholesterol was the main cause of atherosclerosis.
This idea, often called the cholesterol or lipid hypothesis, has led to the development of medicines such as statins, which lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. These medicines have saved millions of lives, but researchers have long suspected that cholesterol is only part of the story.
A new study from New York University suggests another important process may be driving heart disease. The research found that platelets, which are tiny blood cell fragments best known for helping stop bleeding, also play a major role in causing inflammation inside blood vessels. The findings were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Platelets normally protect the body after an injury. When a blood vessel is damaged, they quickly stick together and form a clot to stop bleeding. Without platelets, even small cuts could become dangerous. However, scientists now believe these tiny cells do much more than control bleeding.
The researchers discovered that activated platelets release chemical signals that attract white blood cells to the walls of blood vessels. White blood cells are an important part of the immune system because they help fight infections.
However, when too many gather inside artery walls, they can create long-lasting inflammation. This inflammation damages the arteries and encourages plaque to grow larger over time.
The team also identified an important protein called SOCS3. Their experiments showed that platelets influence SOCS3 activity in certain immune cells known as myeloid cells. These cells include monocytes, which are white blood cells involved in inflammation. Higher SOCS3 activity appeared to increase the inflammatory response, helping plaque develop more rapidly.
One surprising finding was that this inflammatory process could occur even when blood clots were not forming. Traditionally, platelets have been linked mainly with clotting. The new research suggests they also have a separate job in promoting inflammation that contributes to atherosclerosis.
The scientists also studied patients with heart disease. Women who had experienced heart attacks showed higher levels of SOCS3 and increased numbers of monocyte-platelet aggregates, which are clusters formed when platelets attach to white blood cells.
Patients with atherosclerosis affecting the arteries in their legs also had higher SOCS3 levels, more active platelets, and stronger signs of inflammation. These real-world findings supported the laboratory results.
The study does not suggest that cholesterol is unimportant. High LDL, often called “bad” cholesterol, remains one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease.
Instead, the findings show that inflammation and cholesterol may work together to damage arteries. Understanding both processes could help scientists develop new treatments that not only lower cholesterol but also reduce harmful inflammation.
Dr. Tessa Barrett and her colleagues believe their discovery could eventually lead to medicines that target platelet-driven inflammation or the SOCS3 pathway. Such treatments might provide extra protection for people at high risk of heart attacks or strokes.
For now, doctors still recommend the proven ways to protect heart health. Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, avoiding smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood pressure, managing cholesterol, reducing stress, and taking prescribed medicines remain the best ways to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
This study offers a new way of understanding how heart disease develops. By revealing that platelets help drive inflammation as well as blood clotting, the research provides fresh clues that could lead to more effective treatments and better protection against one of the world’s biggest health threats.
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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