In a new study, researchers have identified new risk factors that contribute to artery stiffness.
They found that coffee drinking, alcohol drinking, Southern foods, dietary supplements, and pesticides could all lead to the disease.
The research was conducted by a team from the University of Georgia.
Previous research has shown that hardening arteries, or arterial stiffness, is a big risk factor for heart disease.
However, the mechanisms that contribute to the condition are not well understood.
In the study, the team examined the metabolites in more than 1,200 participants of the Bogalusa Heart Study.
They aimed to find metabolites linked to the hardening of arteries.
Metabolites are created each time there is a transfer of energy in the body. They play a key role in maintaining the body’s normal function.
Changes in metabolite levels can reflect how environmental factors, like smoking, diet or pollutants, influence our health.
The researchers identified 27 new metabolites associated with arterial stiffness.
Many metabolites were related to coffee drinking, alcohol drinking, Southern foods, dietary supplements, and pesticides.
Most of the metabolites were linked to other risk factors of arterial stiffness such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.
But some of these metabolites are food additives and cooking ingredients found in many U.S. kitchens.
The team suggests that future work needs to test how food additives may contribute to arterial stiffness.
It also needs to examine the relationship between some of the metabolites and arterial stiffness over time.
The lead author of the study is Changwei Li, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at UGA’s College of Public Health.
The study is published in the American Journal of Hypertension.
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