Heart News
Customised diets could help treat high blood pressure in the lungs
�y reducing stiffness in the arteries , foods low in two amino acids can reduce the ris�s of this potentially fatal condition
Selecting the right foods might be a viable strategy to improve treatment efficacy against pulmonary hypertension , a form of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and can lead to chronic lung disease , heart failure , and death .
�esearchers from the �niversity of Pittsburgh analysed lab mice with pulmonary hypertension and found that the process leading to the stiffness and impairment of the lung arteries — the hallmarks of the disease — was driven by glutamine and serine , two important substances that help produce key components in our body , like collage proteins . However , cells in blood vessels with pulmonary hypertension use large quantities of glutamine and serine to produce excess collagen that makes the arteries stiff .
Since our body mostly absorbs glutamine and serine from food , a diet low in these substances , also called amino acids , can help reduce collagen production and thus the progression of pulmonary hypertension .
“ For the first time , we have a dietary maneuver that may serve as an effective way of treating the disease ,” �r Stephen Chan , professor of medicine at the �niversity of Pittsburgh and one of the researchers who led the study , said in a press release .
This dietary approach might also boost the effectiveness of standard medications for pulmonary hypertension .
“ It opens up a new way that we could treat this disease , because now — instead of just relying on medications and transplantation — there are possibly effective lifestyle interventions ,” added �r Chan .
Common heart disease medication may be unnecessary for many patients
�he findings are li�ely to reduce prescription of beta bloc�er drugs
About half of the people who suffer from a heart attack are prescribed beta blocker drugs unnecessarily , according to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine .
The medications slow down the heartbeat , reducing stress on the heart muscle , with some past studies showing this can provide patients with health benefits .
However , an international team of researchers from Sweden , Estonia , and New Zealand , showed that there were no health benefits for people who had a small heart attack . They analysed data from more than 5,000 patients who either received beta blockers or no medications after suffering a small heart attack and observed no significant difference in death rates or the likelihood of having another heart attack between the two groups over the course of a six-year follow-up .
“ I am convinced that this will in�uence future practice . This study has already been mentioned in the European guidelines for cardiac care , so the results are in demand ,” lead study researcher Professor Tomas �ernberg from the �epartment of Clinical Sciences at Karolinska Institutet said in a press release .
However , he cautioned people on beta blockers against discontinuing them without talking to their doctors because the study results don ’ t apply to every individual who suffered from a heart attack , meaning that there are still people who can benefit from the medications .
“ There may be other causes , other diagnoses , behind the use of beta-blockers . Then there is the fact that if you are going to stop , you should stop beta-blockers gradually . If you do it too quickly , you can get some heart palpitations and other discomfort . So , it is very important that you talk to your doctor before stopping any heart medication ,” he added .
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