Navigation

Breakthrough announced in heart-failure research

One molecule is all it takes to set in motion a fatal chain of events that can result in heart failure, according to the findings of Swiss biologists.

This content was published on June 4, 2009

In the online journal "Cell Metabolism", the scientists at Zurich's Federal Institute of Technology reveal new information on how the heart muscle converts nutrients into energy when under stress.

This is often the case with overweight people suffering from high blood pressure.

In such instances the heart must work harder to pump blood through the body. The muscle becomes enlarged and demands more fuel and oxygen. But until there are enough blood vessels to meet those demands, the heart must burn glucose – an easy source of energy. A healthy heart typically burns fat.

For the heart to burn sugar, scientists have shown that it needs a protein known as HIF1-alpha. That compound can also cause heart cells to produce and store fat, which can lead to heart failure.

Finding a way to block the protein could break the chain of events, the researchers said.

swissinfo.ch

In compliance with the JTI standards

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

Change your password

Do you really want to delete your profile?

Newsletters
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.

Discover our weekly must-reads for free!

Sign up to get our top stories straight into your mailbox.

The SBC Privacy Policy provides additional information on how your data is processed.