Bile Acids May Hold Clue To Treat Heart Disease

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines;  Diabetes
Article Date: 07 Dec 2011 - 1:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Heart disease is a major cause of death in industrialised countries, and is strongly associated with obesity and diabetes. Many scientists believe that what links these conditions is a chronic, low-grade inflammation. The current study, published in the scientific journal Cell Metabolism (December 6, 2011), supports that theory by demonstrating that a modified bile acid called INT-777 prevents atherosclerosis, the build-up of fatty plaques in the walls of arteries, and a leading cause of heart disease - and that it does so by exerting an anti-inflammatory effect.

INT-777 activates a receptor in the membrane of gut cells called TGR5, and in so doing enhances the secretion of a hormone called Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 is normally induced by feeding, and it stimulates insulin secretion in response to glucose. In earlier work, Profs Kristina Schoonjans and Johan Auwerx of the EPFL's Laboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology (LISP), in collaboration with Prof Roberto Pellicciari of the University of Perugia (Italy) and Intercept Pharmaceuticals (New York, USA), found that they could protect mice fed a high-fat diet from obesity and diabetes by supplementing their food with INT-777.

Anti-diabetic drugs already exist that prolong the activity of GLP-1 in the body. The EPFL group's discovery that INT-777 enhances GLP-1 secretion raised the exciting prospect of combining the two therapeutic approaches for a more effective treatment of diabetes. But how would INT-777 affect any underlying inflammation, and in particular, atherosclerosis?

To find out, LISP members Dr Thijs Pols and Mitsunori Nomura treated mice prone to atherosclerosis with INT-777, and found a significant reduction in plaque formation. Atherosclerotic plaques contain inflammatory cells called macrophages that are generated in the bone marrow. When the bone marrow of the atherosclerosis-prone mice was replaced by bone marrow from either healthy, wild-type mice, or from mice genetically engineered to lack TGR5, the researchers found that only those that received the wild-type marrow showed significantly reduced plaque formation following INT777 treatment. "That was the evidence we needed that it was the anti-inflammatory effect of the compound, acting via TGR5 in bone marrow-derived cells, that accounted for the protective effect," says Dr Schoonjans.

INT777 therefore looks like a promising candidate for the treatment of metabolic syndrome, she says. Unlike some existing anti-diabetes drugs, it is unlikely to have the side-effect of hypoglycaemia, or very low blood glucose, because it only triggers GLP-1 secretion when glucose is in sufficient supply. And though its anti-inflammatory effects are significant, they are moderate, meaning that it would be unlikely to interfere with the normal immune response. The next step will be to devise clinical trials, to test its safety and efficacy in humans.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our heart disease section for the latest news on this subject. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. "Bile Acids May Hold Clue To Treat Heart Disease." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 7 Dec. 2011. Web.
9 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Eating Fish With Omega 3 Fatty Acids Could Reduce Heart Disease Risk In Young Women

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 07 Dec 2011 - 0:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Young women may reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease simply by eating more fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, researchers reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In the first population-based study in women of childbearing age, those who rarely or never ate fish had 50 percent more cardiovascular problems over eight years than those who ate fish regularly.

Compared to women who ate fish high in omega-3 weekly, the risk was 90 percent higher for those who rarely or never ate fish.

Researchers used a Danish nationwide population based pregnancy cohort to examine whether or not eating more fish might reduce cardiovascular disease risk in the young women.

About 49,000 women, 15-49 years old, median age of just under 30 years in early pregnancy - were interviewed by telephone or answered food frequency questionnaires about how much, what types and how often they ate fish, as well as lifestyle and family history questions.

Researchers recorded 577 cardiovascular events during the eight-year period, including five cardiovascular deaths in women without any prior diagnosis of the disease. In all, 328 events were due to hypertensive disease, 146 from cerebrovascular disease, and 103 from ischemic heart disease.

Inpatient and outpatient admission for cardiovascular disease was much more common among women who reported eating little or no fish. In three different assessments over a 30-week period, women who never ate fish had a three-fold higher disease risk compared to women who ate fish every week.

"To our knowledge this is the first study of this size to focus exclusively on women of childbearing age," said Marin Strøm, Ph.D., lead researcher and post doctoral fellow at the Centre for Fetal Programming, at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. "The biggest challenge in getting health messages like this across to younger populations is that usually the benefits may not be evident for 30 or 40 years, but our study shows this is not the case. We saw a strong association with cardiovascular disease in the women who were still in their late 30's."

Fish oil contains long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are believed to protect against heart and vascular disease. Few women in the study took fish oil supplements, so these were excluded from the analyses and the results were based on the dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids, not intake from supplements.

Most previous studies that found cardiovascular benefits of omega-3 fatty acids have focused on men, according to Strøm.

"Men and women share many cardiovascular risk factors, but some studies have shown that there might also be gender differences. For example, inflammation, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels may have a more negative influence among women," Strom said.

Even women who ate fish only a couple of times a month benefitted. "Women who eat fish should find the results encouraging, but it is important to emphasize that to obtain the greatest benefit from fish and fish oils, women should follow the dietary recommendations to eat fish as a main meal at least twice a week," she said.

The most common fish consumed by women in the study were cod, salmon, herring, and mackerel.

"Our study shows that for younger women, eating fish is very important for overall health, and even though we found cardio-protective effects at relatively modest dietary levels, higher levels may yield additional benefits," Strøm said.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our heart disease section for the latest news on this subject. Co-authors are Thorhallur I. Halldorsson, Ph.D., Erik L. Mortensen, M.Sc.,Christian Torp-Pedersen, M.D., D.M.Sc. and Sjurdur F. Olsen, M.D., D.MSc. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
American Heart Association Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

American Heart Association. "Eating Fish With Omega 3 Fatty Acids Could Reduce Heart Disease Risk In Young Women." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 7 Dec. 2011. Web.
9 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Bile Acids May Hold Clue To Treat Heart Disease

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines;  Diabetes
Article Date: 07 Dec 2011 - 1:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Heart disease is a major cause of death in industrialised countries, and is strongly associated with obesity and diabetes. Many scientists believe that what links these conditions is a chronic, low-grade inflammation. The current study, published in the scientific journal Cell Metabolism (December 6, 2011), supports that theory by demonstrating that a modified bile acid called INT-777 prevents atherosclerosis, the build-up of fatty plaques in the walls of arteries, and a leading cause of heart disease - and that it does so by exerting an anti-inflammatory effect.

INT-777 activates a receptor in the membrane of gut cells called TGR5, and in so doing enhances the secretion of a hormone called Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 is normally induced by feeding, and it stimulates insulin secretion in response to glucose. In earlier work, Profs Kristina Schoonjans and Johan Auwerx of the EPFL's Laboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology (LISP), in collaboration with Prof Roberto Pellicciari of the University of Perugia (Italy) and Intercept Pharmaceuticals (New York, USA), found that they could protect mice fed a high-fat diet from obesity and diabetes by supplementing their food with INT-777.

Anti-diabetic drugs already exist that prolong the activity of GLP-1 in the body. The EPFL group's discovery that INT-777 enhances GLP-1 secretion raised the exciting prospect of combining the two therapeutic approaches for a more effective treatment of diabetes. But how would INT-777 affect any underlying inflammation, and in particular, atherosclerosis?

To find out, LISP members Dr Thijs Pols and Mitsunori Nomura treated mice prone to atherosclerosis with INT-777, and found a significant reduction in plaque formation. Atherosclerotic plaques contain inflammatory cells called macrophages that are generated in the bone marrow. When the bone marrow of the atherosclerosis-prone mice was replaced by bone marrow from either healthy, wild-type mice, or from mice genetically engineered to lack TGR5, the researchers found that only those that received the wild-type marrow showed significantly reduced plaque formation following INT777 treatment. "That was the evidence we needed that it was the anti-inflammatory effect of the compound, acting via TGR5 in bone marrow-derived cells, that accounted for the protective effect," says Dr Schoonjans.

INT777 therefore looks like a promising candidate for the treatment of metabolic syndrome, she says. Unlike some existing anti-diabetes drugs, it is unlikely to have the side-effect of hypoglycaemia, or very low blood glucose, because it only triggers GLP-1 secretion when glucose is in sufficient supply. And though its anti-inflammatory effects are significant, they are moderate, meaning that it would be unlikely to interfere with the normal immune response. The next step will be to devise clinical trials, to test its safety and efficacy in humans.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our heart disease section for the latest news on this subject. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. "Bile Acids May Hold Clue To Treat Heart Disease." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 7 Dec. 2011. Web.
8 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Eating Fish With Omega 3 Fatty Acids Could Reduce Heart Disease Risk In Young Women

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 07 Dec 2011 - 0:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Young women may reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease simply by eating more fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, researchers reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In the first population-based study in women of childbearing age, those who rarely or never ate fish had 50 percent more cardiovascular problems over eight years than those who ate fish regularly.

Compared to women who ate fish high in omega-3 weekly, the risk was 90 percent higher for those who rarely or never ate fish.

Researchers used a Danish nationwide population based pregnancy cohort to examine whether or not eating more fish might reduce cardiovascular disease risk in the young women.

About 49,000 women, 15-49 years old, median age of just under 30 years in early pregnancy - were interviewed by telephone or answered food frequency questionnaires about how much, what types and how often they ate fish, as well as lifestyle and family history questions.

Researchers recorded 577 cardiovascular events during the eight-year period, including five cardiovascular deaths in women without any prior diagnosis of the disease. In all, 328 events were due to hypertensive disease, 146 from cerebrovascular disease, and 103 from ischemic heart disease.

Inpatient and outpatient admission for cardiovascular disease was much more common among women who reported eating little or no fish. In three different assessments over a 30-week period, women who never ate fish had a three-fold higher disease risk compared to women who ate fish every week.

"To our knowledge this is the first study of this size to focus exclusively on women of childbearing age," said Marin Strøm, Ph.D., lead researcher and post doctoral fellow at the Centre for Fetal Programming, at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. "The biggest challenge in getting health messages like this across to younger populations is that usually the benefits may not be evident for 30 or 40 years, but our study shows this is not the case. We saw a strong association with cardiovascular disease in the women who were still in their late 30's."

Fish oil contains long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are believed to protect against heart and vascular disease. Few women in the study took fish oil supplements, so these were excluded from the analyses and the results were based on the dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids, not intake from supplements.

Most previous studies that found cardiovascular benefits of omega-3 fatty acids have focused on men, according to Strøm.

"Men and women share many cardiovascular risk factors, but some studies have shown that there might also be gender differences. For example, inflammation, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels may have a more negative influence among women," Strom said.

Even women who ate fish only a couple of times a month benefitted. "Women who eat fish should find the results encouraging, but it is important to emphasize that to obtain the greatest benefit from fish and fish oils, women should follow the dietary recommendations to eat fish as a main meal at least twice a week," she said.

The most common fish consumed by women in the study were cod, salmon, herring, and mackerel.

"Our study shows that for younger women, eating fish is very important for overall health, and even though we found cardio-protective effects at relatively modest dietary levels, higher levels may yield additional benefits," Strøm said.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our heart disease section for the latest news on this subject. Co-authors are Thorhallur I. Halldorsson, Ph.D., Erik L. Mortensen, M.Sc.,Christian Torp-Pedersen, M.D., D.M.Sc. and Sjurdur F. Olsen, M.D., D.MSc. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.
American Heart Association Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

American Heart Association. "Eating Fish With Omega 3 Fatty Acids Could Reduce Heart Disease Risk In Young Women." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 7 Dec. 2011. Web.
8 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here