Disease 'boosts heart protection'
Diseased-hearts were better at withstanding further damage
Monday, 01, Oct 2007 12:56
Scientists have discovered that hearts suffering from coronary disease could be preconditioned to better withstand further damage.
In tests on mice, researchers from the University of Bristol and the Bristol Heart Institute found that mice with coronary disease were more resistant to damage than those without.
They believe that the heart protection mechanism could help scientists to improve treatments for patients in the future.
Mice genetically-modified to have coronary disease were fed either a normal diet or a high-fat diet typical of people's eating habits in North America and the UK.
These mice appeared to develop an innate protection against further damage.
Normal mice fed the high-fat diet who underwent conditions similar to those in a heart attack or during surgery were more vulnerable to injury than normal mice fed a normal diet.
The researchers argue this is an exciting discovery as it suggests that western style high-fat diets can significantly weaken the defences of the heart and make it vulnerable to sudden stress.
Professor Saadeh Suleiman from the University of Bristol, said: "We have shown that in mice prone to developing coronary artery disease, a western-style diet accelerates the progression of disease but that hearts with coronary disease then became more resistant to further damage, such as occurs during surgery.
"But it is still better to avoid surgery altogether by adopting healthy eating habits!"