Lipid may Prevent Heart Disease by Softening Arteries

LipidHigh cholesterol is one of the factors that can lead to hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis, leading to heart disease. Statins are often prescribed to lower their cholesterol but the side effects of the drugs make them unsuitable for many people.

Now new research has revealed there might be a more effective way to stop heart disease by promoting elasticity of the arteries. American researchers have discovered that the protein Apo lipoprotein E (apoE) softens the arteries, allowing them to expand and preventing the hardening that can cause cardiovascular disease.

An apoE is one of a number of specific types of lipids known as very low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs), which also play a role in the “good” cholesterol or high-density lipoproteins (HDL) that helps prevent heart disease.

The study’s findings suggest that even those with very high cholesterol can benefit from the softening of their arteries, which then prevents atherosclerosis developing.

The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Wistar Institute and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia carried out the research involving mice to investigate the role apoE protein plays in causing softness in the arteries.

The team was building on previous research that has already revealed the part apoE plays in removing cholesterol from the bloodstream to the liver. The latest study aimed to examine the role HDL plays in heart health using mice and concluded that, in fact, HDL containing apoE may be responsible for softening the arteries.

The mice that did not have the apoE gene expression showed significantly higher arterial stiffening but when fed on a high-fat diet and treated with a protein known as a lysyl oxidase inhibitor to soften the arteries, there was a significant improvement in the evidence of atherosclerosis in those mice.

Hardening or stiffening of the arteries is a major cause of health problems, such as high blood pressure, stroke, congestive heart failure and poor blood flow. The findings of the American study suggest softening the arteries may now be a better way to reduce the risk of heart disease and the effects of high cholesterol rather than using statins.

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