Supplement may prevent heart disease in people with low birth weight

Date: Dec-15-2014 A study conducted in rats - and whose findings are yet to be confirmed in

humans - suggests a simple enzyme supplement could be a cost-effective way to reduce

the risk of heart disease in people of low birth weight who experienced rapid

postnatal growth.

Study of rats suggests a deficiency in co-enzyme Q explains the link between low birth weight and heart disease.

Writing in The FASEB Journal, researchers from the University of Cambridge

in the UK describe how they identified a new mechanism that explains the link between

low birth weight and heart disease. They say it is due to a deficiency in co-enzyme Q

(CoQ). They also suggest a possible treatment.

CoQ is an enzyme that is naturally present in the body. The Cambridge team found

that cells need it for their mitochondria - their internal "batteries" that give them

energy to function - and also to protect them from oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is caused by free radicals - highly reactive molecules that damage

genes, proteins and cell membranes.

Globally, heart disease is responsible for more deaths than any other disease.

Estimates for 2008 suggest 17.3 million people worldwide died of heart disease - a

figure that is set to climb to over 23.3 million by 2030, highlighting the pressing

need for improved ways to diagnose and treat the disease earlier.

For some time, it has been known that babies of low birth weight who grow quickly

after birth are more likely to develop heart disease later in life compared with those

of normal birth weight. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood,

note the authors.

CoQ supplement prevents age-related aorta damage in low birth weight rats

The new study shows that feeding low birth weight rats extra CoQ prevents the age-associated damage to the aorta that causes heart disease. It also shows that low

birth weight rats have less CoQ in their white blood cells - suggesting a blood test

could use this as a marker of how much damage the aorta has suffered.

Senior author Susan Ozanne, professor of
Developmental Endocrinology at Cambridge's Institute of Metabolic Science and her team

fed one group of pregnant rats a control diet, and fed another group a diet with the

same total calories but less protein and more carbohydrate.

The low-protein diet caused the rats to give birth to low birth weight pups. But

the pups then grew rapidly when suckled by mothers fed on the control diet.

When the researchers examined the aortas of the low birth weight, fast-growing rat

offspring, they found that the blood vessel cells had aged more rapidly than those of

the normal birth weight counterparts. The team also found that the amount of cell

aging correlated with lower levels of CoQ.

The team also found that supplementing the diets of the low birth weight rat pups

with extra CoQ once they had weaned, prevented the faster aging and aorta damage seen

in the counterparts that did not have the supplement.

Prof. Ozanne says, "Our study has answered a question that has puzzled doctors for

some time now - why children of low birth weight who grow quickly are prone to heart

disease in later life."

CoQ may be 'a safe and cost-effective supplement' for at-risk individuals

Prof. Ozanne and her team believe that if their results are confirmed in humans, they

could one day lead to ways to not only treat early heart disease, but perhaps even

prevent it.

First author Dr. Jane Tarry-Adkins, also of Cambridge's Institute of Metabolic

Science, says of the study:

"It suggests that it may be possible to treat at-risk individuals with a safe and

cost-effective supplement that has the potential to prevent heart disease before they

display any symptoms of the disease."

However, although you can buy CoQ supplement in the drug store, do not rush out and

buy it in the hope it will stop you having heart disease or a stroke, urges Dr. Gerald

Weissmann, editor-in-chief of The FASEB Journal, who notes:

"This promising research was conducted in rats, and if it also applies to people,

still doesn't tell us how much to take, for how long, and if it's safe for these

purposes."

The most important risk factor for heart disease is hypertension or high blood

pressure. A surprising new study that Medical News Today learned of recently

suggests that dietary sugar contributes more to high blood pressure than

salt.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Not to be reproduced without permission.

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Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.