New imaging technique leads to promising results for experimental heart attack drug

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: June 2017

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: Every day 190 people in the UK die from a heart attack. Researchers in Oxford have used a scanning method to develop a new drug which may help hearts heal.

The scientists unveiled their promising work on a new drug to help patients who have suffered a heart attack. Presenting at the British Cardiovascular Society’s annual conference, the BHF-funded team from the University of Oxford described how an experimental drug called 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) may improve heart function after a heart attack.

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Acknowledgement: British Heart Foundation                

Promising new therapy may help heart attack patients’ hearts heal

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: June 2017

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: A naturally occurring molecule called interleukin-4 may help patients recover from a heart attack, according to research presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) Conference today.  The findings show that heart attack patients with low blood levels of a particular white blood cell, called an eosinophil, have higher death rates in the six months after their heart attack. Researchers have also discovered that treating these patients with a molecule called interleukin-4 (IL-4) may help to reduce these death rates.

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Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement: British Heart Foundation      

People who are ‘healthy’ obese are at risk of heart disease

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: May 2017

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: New research shows that so called ‘metabolically healthy’ obese people are still at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart failure or stroke, than normal weight people.

The study, presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO), examined whether the risk of developing cardiovascular conditions including coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure, was different for normal weight people with no metabolic conditions or people with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO).

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Acknowledgement: British Heart Foundation                

Low-gluten diet linked to heart attack risk

Source: NHS Choices

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Date of publication: May 2017

Publication type:  News item

In a nutshell: “Gluten-free diet can do more harm than good for people without coeliac disease,” The Independent reports, as a new study found that the “trendy gluten-free diets loved by Gwyneth Paltrow and Russell Crowe may increase the risk of heart disease”.  The current study followed more than 100,000 people from 1986 to 2012, assessing their diets and whether they had heart attacks during that time. These people did not have heart disease at the start of the study, and importantly did not have coeliac disease.

Overall, it found that once other risk factors were taken into account, people’s consumption of gluten was not related to their risk of heart attack. However, further analyses suggested that lower consumption of gluten specifically from whole grains (wheat, barley and rye) was associated with increased heart attack risk compared to higher consumption from these sources.

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Acknowledgement:  NHS Choices            

Breakthrough blood test to improve diagnosis of heart attacks

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: April 2017

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: Researchers have developed a new blood test to diagnose heart attacks, thanks to BHF-funding. The study found that the new test is more sensitive and quicker in detecting heart damage than the current troponin test.

Using donated human heart muscle tissue, the team found that a protein called cardiac myosin-binding protein C was even more sensitive and better at detecting damage to the heart caused by a heart attack than the widely used troponin test.

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Acknowledgement:  British Heart Foundation              

Cycling commuters have lower rates of heart disease and cancer

Source: NHS Choices

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Date of publication: April 2017

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: Want to live longer? Reduce your risk of cancer? And heart disease? Then cycle to work,” BBC News advises, prompted by a new study that found UK commuters who cycled to work had lower rates of cancer and heart disease, compared to other types of commuters.

The study was well designed as it included more than 200,000 adults working full time away from their homes and aged between 40 and 69 years. Commuting on a bicycle was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and death from any cause, while those walking to work only had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

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Acknowledgement:  NHS Choices              

New report assesses impact of physical inactivity on UK heart health and economy

Source: British Heart Foundation

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Date of publication: April 2017

Publication type: Report

In a nutshell: A report by the British Heart Foundation finds that more than 20 million adults in the UK are physically inactive and estimates that this increase risk of heart disease may cost the NHS £1.2 billion annually.

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Acknowledgement:  British Heart Foundation