As we grow older, we are often told by doctors to look after our hearts. So frequently are we told about the dangers that come with middle-age, diabetes and heart problems, that it may begin to sound like a lecture from an angry parent or a disappointed teacher.
The fact remains however, that these problems exist – and new research is looking into why this is.
As we grow older, the elasticity in our blood vessels and major heart artery, the aorta, are lost. These vessels are made out of a protein known as, understandably, elastin, which can stretch and then return to its original shape and size, similar to a balloon or a rubber band. This is how our blood is pumped throughout our body.
The elastin within the aorta was found to be affected by a property known as biological ferroelectricity. Like a compass, ferroelectricity is polarised, which can then be reversed by an electric field.
Our bodies work through small stimulations of electrical currents from the brain, ranging from the network of nerves that help us to feel, to the blood that is pumped around us through the heart. Without us realising it, our entire body is working to ensure that everything is working correctly.
The researchers discovered that glucose in our body could switch this polarisation, which then affected the elastin in the body. Of course, blood vessels are not the only traits to be affected by elastin.
As we continue to age, the glucose switches and affects ferroelectricity, which researchers believe is part of the reason why we have the ageing process and a variety of degenerative diseases. By applying an external electric field, it is believed that the polarisation can be controlled … to a point.
The team’s discovery that the relationship between elastin and and glucose is the next step forward understanding the effects and changes that the heart goes through as we age. The effects of external electricity to the heart could help to benefit lives, maintain health and reduce problems.
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