May 15, 2008, 7:40 PM CT

Doubt on Risk of Death from Higher Salt Intake

Contrary to long-held assumptions, high-salt diets may not increase the risk of death, as per researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. They reached their conclusion after examining dietary intake among a nationally representative sample of adults in the U.S. The Einstein scientists actually observed a significantly increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) linked to lower sodium diets. They report their findings in the advance online edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

The scientists analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), which was conducted by the federal government among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. These data were then compared against death records that had been collected by the government through the year 2000. The sample of approximately 8,700 represented American adults who were over 30 years of age at the time of the baseline survey (1988-1994) and were not on a special low-salt diet.

After adjusting for known CVD risk factors, such as smoking, diabetes and blood pressure, the one-fourth of the sample who reported consuming the lowest amount of sodium were found to be 80% more likely to die from CVD in comparison to the one-fourth of the sample consuming the highest level of sodium. The risk for death from any cause appeared 24% greater for those consuming lower salt, but this latter difference was not quite large enough to dismiss the role of chance......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

May 12, 2008, 10:09 PM CT

High blood pressure and high cholesterol

Hypertension and high cholesterol levels appear to be risk factors for retinal vein occlusion, a condition that causes vision loss, as per a report in the recent issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Retinal vein occlusion occurs when one or more veins carrying blood from the eye to the heart become blocked, as per background information in the article. Bleeding (hemorrhage) or fluid buildup (edema) may follow, damaging vision.

Paul R.A. OMahoney, of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, and his colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 21 previously published studies involving 2,916 individuals with retinal vein occlusion and 28,646 control participants without the condition. The scientists pooled data from all the studies and estimated the population-attributable risk, or the percentage of cases of retinal vein occlusion that could be attributed to high blood pressure (high blood pressure), diabetes and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol).

Of patients with retinal vein occlusion, 63.6 percent had hypertension, compared with 36.2 percent of controls; those with hypertension had more than 3.5 times the odds of having retinal vein occlusion. High cholesterol levels were more than twice as common among patients with retinal vein occlusion as those without (35.1 percent vs. 16.7 percent), and those with high cholesterol levels had an approximately 2.5-fold higher risk of retinal vein occlusion. Diabetes was slightly more prevalent among those with retinal vein occlusion than among those without (14.6 percent vs. 11.1 percent)......... Posted by: Mike      Read more         Source

May 6, 2008, 9:49 PM CT

Protein to limit heart attack injury

Medical College of Wisconsin scientists in Milwaukee have demonstrated for the first time that thrombopoietin (TPO), a naturally occurring protein being developed as a pharmaceutical to increase platelet count in cancer patients during chemotherapy, can also protect the heart against injury during a heart attack.

The study, led by John E. Baker PhD, professor of pediatric surgery in the division of cardiothoracic surgery, was reported in the January 2008 issue of Cardiovascular Research. The importance of these findings was underscored in an accompanying editorial.

Currently there are no therapies available to directly protect the heart against the damaging effects of a heart attack. Dr. Bakers team has shown that administering a single dose of TPO to rats during a heart attack decreased the extent of permanent muscle damage to the heart and increased the ability of the heart to function afterwards, when compared with no drug therapy. Additionally, they observed that a single cardioprotective therapy with TPO did not increase platelet count. This novel finding suggests the cardioprotective actions of TPO are separate from its ability to increase platelet count.

Dr. Baker has submitted a US and worldwide patent application on the tissue protective properties of TPO. Dr. Bakers discovery is licensed to Cardiopoietis, a Wisconsin LLC, formed to develop drugs for the therapy of heart attacks......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

May 2, 2008, 8:17 AM CT

Blood pressure killing the world's workers

In a todays issue of The Lancet, international health experts call for urgent action from international development banks and pharmaceutical companies to stem the epidemic of blood pressure-related diseases affecting developing countries worldwide.

New findings reveal that each year 8 million people die from heart disease and stroke, the two leading blood pressure-related diseases. The majority of these deaths occur in the developing world where victims are often workers, whose deaths directly result in poverty for families and other dependents. As per the authors these deaths are largely avoidable, but no substantive effort to address this issue has been made by the international development banks or the major drug companies.

Author and Principal Director of The George Institute for International Health in Sydney, Professor Stephen MacMahon said today, Ten years ago, The Global Burden of Disease Project predicted this epidemic, yet none of the key players who determine priorities for international health investment have made any real effort to address the problem. As a consequence in the last decade, blood pressure related diseases have killed more than 50 million people, disabled a number of more and taken billions of dollars from the already fragile economies of the developing world......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

April 30, 2008, 5:26 PM CT

Elderly heart patients with ICD devices live longer

Elderly patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure who receive implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death live longer than those that do not, as per scientists at the University of Pennsylvanias School of Medicine. Further, the health care costs linked to ICDs, while substantial at the time of implantation, do not greatly increase downstream health care costs in this population. The study is among the first to analyze the health outcomes and costs linked to primary prevention ICDs for patients outside of a clinical trial setting.

Scientists examined health care data from a nationally representative sample of 14,250 Medicare beneficiaries over age 66 who were treated for congestive heart failure at over 2,000 academic and community hospitals nationwide. Peter Groeneveld, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor of General Internal Medicine, and his co-authors reported their findings in the May 2008 issue of the journal Heart Rhythm.

Scientists observed that, on average, patients receiving ICDselectric monitoring devices that deliver a lifesaving shock to the heartfor primary prevention had a 38 percent lower mortality rate than patients who did not. Thirteen percent of patients who received ICDs died in the first year after implantation, compared with 23 percent of patients who did not receive ICDs. During the second year, the gap widened, as 17 percent of ICD recipients died, compared with 29 percent who did not receive the device......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

April 24, 2008, 5:11 AM CT

Heart derived stem cells develop into heart muscle

Dutch scientists at University Medical Center Utrecht and the Hubrecht Institute have succeeded in growing large numbers of stem cells from adult human hearts into new heart muscle cells. A breakthrough in stem cell research. Until now, it was necessary to use embryonic stem cells to make this happen. The findings appear in the latest issue of the journal Stem Cell Research.

The stem cells are derived from material left over from open-heart operations. Scientists at UMC Utrecht used a simple method to isolate the stem cells from this material and reproduce them in the laboratory, which they then allowed to develop. The cells grew into fully developed heart muscle cells that contract rhythmically, respond to electrical activity, and react to adrenaline.

Weve got complete control of this process, and thats unique, says principal investigator Prof. Pieter Doevendans. Were able to make heart muscle cells in unprecedented quantities, and on top of it theyre all the same. This is good news in terms of therapy, as well as for scientific research and testing of potentially new drugs.

Doevendans will use the cultured heart muscle cells to study things like cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms). Stem cells from the hearts of patients with genetic heart defects can be grown into heart muscle cells in the lab. Scientists can then study the cells responsible for the condition straight away. They can also be used to test new medicines. This could mean that research into genetic heart conditions can move forward at a much faster pace. In the future, new heart muscle cells can likely be used to repair heart tissue damaged during a heart attack......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

April 21, 2008, 8:09 PM CT

Chocolate bar shown to lower cholesterol

The results of a University of Illinois study have demonstrated an effective way to lower cholesterol levels by eating chocolate bars.

Eating two CocoaVia dark chocolate bars a day not only lowered cholesterol, it had the unexpected effect of also lowering systolic blood pressure, said John Erdman, a U. of I. professor of food science and human nutrition.

The study, funded in part by Mars Inc., the company that makes the bars, was published in this months Journal of Nutrition.

Erdman attributes the drop in cholesterol numbers (total cholesterol by 2 percent and LDL or bad cholesterol by 5.3 percent) to the plant sterols that have been added to the bar and the drop in blood pressure to the flavanols found in dark chocolate.

Erdman says that some people will assume the study is flawed because of Mars funding role.

I know that it was a double-blinded trial that wasnt skewed toward a particular result, said Erdman, who chairs the Mars Scientific Advisory Council. Moreover, the paper was peer-evaluated and reported in the Journal of Nutrition, which ranks in the top 10 percent of all the biological science journals. Mars has spent millions of dollars studying the biological impact of the flavanols found in cocoa beans and learning how to retain their benefits during the refining process, Erdman said......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

April 13, 2008, 9:32 PM CT

Macadamia nuts can be included in heart healthy diet

Macadamia nuts included in a heart healthy diet reduced low-density cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and should be included among nuts with qualified health claims, as per researchers.

"We looked at macadamia nuts because they are not currently included in the health claim for tree nuts, while other tree nuts are currently recommended as part of a heart healthy diet," says Dr. Amy E. Griel, a recent Penn State Ph.D. recipient in nutrition and now senior nutrition scientist at The Hershey Company. "Macadamia nuts have higher levels of monosaturated fats, like those found in olive oil compared with other tree nuts".

Along with Brazil nuts and cashews, macadamia nuts are not included in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's list of nuts with qualified health claims because the cut-off point is 4 grams of saturated fat per 50 grams of nuts. Macadamia nuts have 6 grams of saturated fat per 50 grams, cashew nuts have 4.6 grams and Brazil nuts have 7.6 grams of saturated fat per 50 grams of nuts.

"Epidemiological studies showed that people who are frequent nut consumers have decreased risk of heart disease," says Penny Kris-Etherton, co-author and distinguished professor of nutritional sciences.

The scientists used a controlled feeding study to compare a heart-healthy diet with 1.5 ounces a small handful of macadamia nuts to a standard American diet. The participants had slightly elevated cholesterol levels, normal blood pressure and were not taking lipid-lowering drugs. Scientists randomly assigned participants to either the macadamia nut diet or the standard American diet and provided all meals for the participants for five weeks. The participants then switched diets and continued eating only food provided by the scientists for another five weeks......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

April 8, 2008, 10:22 PM CT

Pistachios are smart for the heart

More good news for pistachio fans! As per new data unveiled this week at the Experimental Biology Conference in San Diego, snacking on pistachios has proved once again to have a positive impact on improving cardiovascular health by significantly reducing inflammation in the body, a prominent cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor.

CVD remains the number one cause of death in the U.S., with millions more Americans currently living with the disease. A new study, led by researcher Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton from Penn State Universitys Department of Nutritional Sciences, looked at the effects of pistachios on multiple CVD risk factors, some of which include cholesterol, blood pressure and the genetic expression of various genes correlation to inflammation. The study positively supports other recent studies that show a diet rich in pistachios packs a powerful nutrition punch.

Pistachios contain a number of important nutrients that contribute to their positive effect on health. Every new study adds another piece to the puzzle of how eating pistachios may benefit heart health, said Dr. Constance Geiger, nutrition expert for the Western Pistachio Association (WPA).

The Penn State study was a randomized, crossover, controlled study of 28 healthy men and women (ages 30-70) with slightly-elevated cholesterol levels (similar to cholesterol levels of the general population). It tested three cholesterol-lowering diets, one without pistachio consumption and two with varied levels of pistachios in relation to total caloric intake (on average, 1.5 ounces and 3.0 ounces). All diets provided the same amount of saturated fat and cholesterol, but different amounts of unsaturated fat delivered by pistachios. Participants were fed the same diet for two weeks, which served as a baseline before the test diets began. Each subject tested all diets for a period of four weeks, and results were measured after each diet cycle was completed......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

April 6, 2008, 8:07 PM CT

Genes have big impact on blood pressure

New Haven, Conn. -Yale University scientists report today in the journal Nature Genetics that they have discovered that rare genetic variants can be linked to a dramatically lower risk of developing hypertension in the general population.

The insight that rare mutations may collectively play a large part in the development of common yet complex diseases such as high blood pressure also has implications for the diagnosis and therapy of diseases such as diabetes and schizophrenia.

The team of scientists was led by Richard Lifton http://www.med.yale.edu/bcmm/RPL/index.html , chair of the Department of Genetics and Sterling Professor of Genetics and Internal Medicine at Yale, and Daniel Levy, director National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study.

The researchers analyzed DNA samples from 3,125 people who participated in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-running epidemiology survey that has led to a treasure trove of information about the causes of heart disease.

They decided to study the health impact of three genes regulating the processing of salt in the kidney and each known to cause dangerously low blood pressure levels when inherited with two defective copies (one from each parent). The scientists speculated that people who carry only one defective copy might be less prone to hypertension......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

April 1, 2008, 8:34 PM CT

Bacteria in the digestive system and obesity

Obesity is more than a cosmetic concern because it increases a persons risk for developing high blood pressure, diabetes and a number of other serious health problems. Its well understood that consuming more calories than you expend through exercise and daily activities causes weight gain. But with about one in every three American adults now considered obese, scientists are attempting to identify additional factors that affect a persons tendency to gain and retain excess weight. In the recent issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, scientists from Mayo Clinic Arizona and Arizona State University examine the role that bacteria in the human gastrointestinal tract play in regulating weight and the development of obesity.

Known as gut microbiota, the trillions of bacteria that populate the human gastrointestinal tract perform a variety of chores. These friendly microbes help extract calories from what we eat, help store these calories for later use, and provide energy and nutrients for the production of new bacteria to continue this work.

As per John DiBaise, M.D., a Mayo Clinic Arizona gastroenterologist and lead author of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings article, several animal studies suggest that gut microbiota are involved in regulating weight and that modifying these bacteria could one day be a therapy option for obesity......... Posted by: JoAnn      Read more         Source

March 31, 2008, 9:37 PM CT

Angina drug potentially useful against heart rhythm disorders

A recently approved angina drug may also represent a powerful new therapy for a rare hereditary syndrome that places teens at risk for sudden cardiac death, as per research presented to today at the 57th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in Chicago.

Cardiac arrhythmias are electrical malfunctions that throw the heart out of rhythm, causing a number of of the 330,000 sudden cardiac deaths each year in the United States. Most fatal arrhythmias occur in aging patients when scar tissue left by a heart attack interferes with the heart's electrical system. As a number of as 1,000 deaths each year, however, are caused by Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), which occurs mostly in teens with otherwise healthy hearts. While rare, LQTS is yielding insights into the much more common post-heart attack arrhythmias, scientists said.

The QT interval is part of the hearts electrical signature as recorded by an electrocardiogram (ECG). The QT represents the time it takes for the hearts lower chambers to reset electrically after each heartbeat. QTc is QT corrected for heart rate, a more accurate measure. In LQTS patients, QTc reset time is prolonged, which makes the heart more susceptible to fatal arrhythmias. The condition may go unnoticed until sports, strong emotions or even loud noises knock the heart out of rhythm, causing loss of pulse and consciousness (syncope). Sudden death will then occur if the heart is not restarted with a defibrillator. Given the current state of awareness, some families have lost a second child before realizing all the children have the syndrome......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

March 31, 2008, 9:30 PM CT

Actos preventes progression of atherosclerotic plaque

New data from a clinical trial using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) technology observed that in patients living with type 2 diabetes, ACTOS® (pioglitazone HCl) reduced the atherosclerotic burden in the coronary arteries in comparison to glimepiride, and prevented progression in comparison to baseline. These data stem from the PERISCOPE (Pioglitazone Effect on Regression of Intravascular Sonographic Coronary Obstruction Prospective Evaluation) trial.

The PERISCOPE trial was presented today as a late breaker at the 57th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago. This trial adds to the body of cardiovascular data for ACTOS. ACTOS studies, conducted over the past 10 years in more than 16,000 patients, including short- and long-term trials, as well as prospective and findings based on observation, have shown no evidence that ACTOS is linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or death.

We are pleased with the results of the PERISCOPE, which further expands our cardiovascular data with ACTOS, said David P. Recker, M.D., senior vice president, Clinical Sciences and interim president at Takeda Global Research & Development. While not definitive, data from PERISCOPE combined with results from a prior study, looking at surrogate endpoints, have shown a consistent trend toward decreasing cardiovascular risk by reducing the atherosclerotic burden in people with type 2 diabetes......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

March 27, 2008, 9:33 PM CT

Relaxation training may improve hypertension

Adding the relaxation response, a stress-management approach, to other lifestyle interventions may significantly improve therapy of the type of high blood pressure most common in the elderly. Among participants in a study conducted at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) High blood pressure Program and the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at MGH, those who received relaxation response training in addition to advice on reducing lifestyle risk factors were more than twice as likely to successfully eliminate at least one blood pressure medicine than were those receiving lifestyle counseling only. The study appears in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

Nearly 80 million Americans are classified as having hypertension, and eventhough we have a number of medications to lower blood pressure, only about a third of patients achieve adequate control of their pressures, says Randall Zusman, MD, co-senior author of the report who leads the High blood pressure Program at the MGH Heart Center. If a practice that takes only 15 to 20 minutes a day can help decrease patients dependence on antihypertensive medications reducing often-unpleasant side effects and the considerable costs of these drugs we could not only improve their quality of life but lower direct and indirect health costs by billions of dollars......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

March 27, 2008, 8:55 PM CT

Retired NFL players at increased risk for heart problems

Screening for cardiovascular problems in elite-level football players should begin in high school and continue throughout the lives of college and professional players. Mayo Clinic physicians based that conclusion on the results of their new study of the cardiovascular health of 233 retired National Football League (NFL) players.

The Mayo data showed that 82 percent of NFL players under age 50 had abnormal narrowing and blockages in arteries, in comparison to the general population of the same age. This finding suggests that the former athletes face increased risk of experiencing high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke. The report on research conducted by the Mayo Clinic Arizona group will be presented next week at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session in Chicago.



Significance of the Mayo Clinic Study

This is the first and largest study to measure comprehensive cardiovascular performance measures on retired NFL athletes, ages 35 to 65. Its findings add to the emerging portrait of poor heart health among this group of retired athletes. The findings also suggest that players as young as high school age who are engaged in serious competitive-conference level of training and play may benefit from regular cardiovascular screening. What we hope to emphasize with our findings is that all NFL players -- retired or not -- need to undergo cardiovascular health evaluation because they may have changes in heart and vessel conditions that we can treat so they dont experience problems during the later part of life, says Robert Hurst, M.D., Mayo Clinic heart specialist and lead researcher......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

March 24, 2008, 7:57 PM CT

Mutant proteins could lead to new treatment for heart disease

Heart damage due to blocked arteries remains the leading cause of disease and death in the Western world, but a Florida State University College of Medicine researcher is helping to open new pathways toward treating the problem.

Michael Blaber, a professor in the department of biomedical sciences, is researching mutant forms of a human protein that have been shown to help the human body grow new blood vessels to restore blood flow in damaged areas of the heart.

Working with a $264,000, three-year grant from the American Heart Association, Blaber hopes to provide data that will enable the use of the mutant proteins in new therapy methods previously unavailable for patients with advanced no option heart disease.

This research offers the potential to treat people who currently are being sent home to die, Blaber said. Weve tested a group of mutants in the laboratory with unusual properties of increased stability and activities -- good properties. In some cases it was unexpected, but the results are very promising.

Obstructed blood vessels and clogged or blocked arteries typically are treated through angioplasty, the mechanical widening of a vessel, or bypass surgery. Some patients, however, have numerous small blockages that cannot be treated through traditional approaches. In most cases, they are sent home with a predicted life expectancy that, no matter how its phrased, sounds like a death sentence......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

March 16, 2008, 9:56 PM CT

Meditation Impacts Blood Pressure

Transcendental Meditation is an effective therapy for controlling hypertension with the added benefit of bypassing possible side effects and hazards of anti-high blood pressure drugs, as per a new meta-analysis conducted at the University of Kentucky. The study appears in the recent issue of the American Journal of Hypertension.

The meta-analysis reviewed nine randomized, controlled trials using Transcendental Meditation as a primary intervention for hypertensive patients. The practice of Transcendental Meditation was linked to approximate reductions of 4.7 mm systolic blood pressure and 3.2 mm diastolic blood pressure.

The study's lead author, Dr. James W. Anderson, professor of medicine at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, said that blood pressure reductions of this magnitude would be expected to be accompanied by significant reductions in risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease-without drug side effects. Anderson's most recent findings reinforce an earlier study that found Transcendental Meditation produces a statistically significant reduction in hypertension that was not found with other forms of relaxation, meditation, biofeedback or stress management.

"Adding Transcendental Medication is about equivalent to adding a second antihigh blood pressure agent to one's current regimen only safer and less troublesome," Anderson said......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

March 9, 2008, 4:41 PM CT

North American diet is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids

New research from the Child & Family Research Institute shows the typical North American diet of eating lots of meat and not much fish is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids and this may pose a risk to infant neurological development. Omega-3 fatty acids are unsaturated fats found in some fish such as salmon and herring and in smaller amounts in eggs and chicken. This discovery is an important step towards developing dietary fat guidelines for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Current dietary recommendations evolved from the 1950s emphasis on reducing saturated fat intake to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The study is published March 7th, 2008 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Omega 3 fatty acids are important for the babys developing eyes and brain, says Dr. Sheila Innis, the studys principal investigator, head of the nutrition and metabolism program at the Child & Family Research Institute at BC Childrens Hospital, and professor, department of pediatrics, University of British Columbia.

During pregnancy and breastfeeding, fat consumed by the mum is transferred to the developing baby and breastfed infant, and this fat is important for the babys developing organs. Our next task is to find out why the typical North American diet puts mothers at risk. Then we can develop dietary recommendations to help women consume a nutritious diet that promotes optimal health for mums and babies......... Posted by: JoAnn      Read more         Source

March 7, 2008, 5:20 AM CT

Moderate alcohol consumption can lower cardiac risk

Prior studies have pointed out the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption as a factor in lowering cardiovascular risk. In a study conducted by the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina and reported in the March 2008 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, scientists observed that middle-aged non-drinkers who began consuming moderate amounts of alcohol saw an immediate benefit of lower cardiac disease morbidity with no change in mortality after four years.

Studying 7,697 people between 45 and 64 who were non-drinkers and who were participating in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study over a 10 year period, the authors observed that 6% began moderate alcohol consumption (1 drink per day or fewer for women and 2 drinks per day or fewer for men) during the follow-up period. After 4 years of follow-up, new moderate drinkers had a 38% lower chance of developing cardiovascular disease than did their non-drinking counterparts. Even after adjusting for physical activity, Body Mass Index, demographic and cardiac risk factors, this difference persisted.

The study also identified a subset of new drinkers who consumed only wine. When comparing non-drinkers to wine-only drinkers, drinkers of other types of alcohol, and heavy drinkers, the wine-only drinkers had the most significant reduction in cardiovascular events. Drinkers of other types of alcohol also had an advantage over non-drinkers, but the difference did not reach statistical significance......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source

March 4, 2008, 4:46 PM CT

New potential drug target for the treatment of atherosclerosis

A nuclear receptor protein, known for controlling the ability of cells to burn fat, also exerts powerful anti-inflammatory effects in arteries, suppressing atherosclerosis in mice prone to developing the harmful plaques, as per new research by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Their findings, reported in this weeks online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offer a new and specific target for the development of drugs that specifically treat cardiovascular complications linked to metabolic syndrome.

Heart disease is like a ticking clockit is progressive, relentlessly marching forward accelerated by a mix of high fat diets, inflammation and high blood pressure. We show that PPAR delta offers a kind of genetic shortcut around each of these medical roadblocks, says Howard Hughes Medical Investigator Ronald M. Evans, Ph.D., a professor in the Salk Institutes Gene Expression Laboratory, who co-directed the study with Chih-Hao Lee, a professor in the Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Most people believe cholesterol plays a predominant role in atherosclerosis. Our study suggests that targeting inflammation at lesion sites is just as important, adds Lee......... Posted by: Daniel      Read more         Source