One Gene Change 2 Million Years Ago Left Humans Vulnerable to Heart Attack

     Scientists currently believe that humans are the only species to get heart attacks caused by clogged arteries. New research suggests that a single DNA change 2 million years ago is at the heart of this. Dr. James Jeffrey, a cardiologist, believes this finding creates the link between genetic and environmental factors which cause atherosclerosis and inflammation of arterial walls. However, even chimpanzees do not suffer from this affliction, meaning these types of heart attacks are specific to humans.

     To find out why researchers led by Dr. Nissi Varky and Dr. Amit Varky looked at a gene known as CMAH.  This gene functions by creating a sialic acid sugar molecule known as Neu5Gc. In other mammals a functioning version of this gene appears to greatly reduce the likelihood of atherosclerotic damage in blood vessels. The problem is this gene seems to have been switched off in humans roughly 2 to 3 million years ago. The researchers hypothesize that a dangerous malarial parasite thrived in the presence of Neu5Gc which forced the human genome to evolve and shut down production of this gene. While this change benefited humans by causing resistance to these parasites, it may have caused humans to become more vulnerable to develop fatty deposits in arteries.

      To test this theory, the team compared rates of atherosclerosis is mice with a working CMAH gene and a genetically modified version of the gene not producing Neu5Gc. This test showed that mice with the non-working gene showed nearly double the fatty buildup in their blood vessels. The mice without the gene were then fed red meat, which naturally contains New5Gc which caused even more significant buildup of fatty deposits in blood vessels.

        The researchers believe that this could be a reason that diets high in red meat are linked to heart disease. The hypothesize that contact with Neu5Gc sets off an immune response which leads to a chronic state of inflammation within the blood vessels. This gene may be the reason why people who don't eat meat altogether still are at a high risk for heart attacks while our other mammalian ancestors are not, Currently heart disease is one of the leading killers in the United States. If a form of gene therapy was developed to target this gene, and also other genes involved in how the body reacts to Neu5Gc, a very large dent could be made in the number of people who are claimed by heart disease, which is rapidly rising.





https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-07-29/one-gene-change-2-million-years-ago-left-humans-vulnerable-to-heart-attack

Getting Enough Sleep Reduces Cardiovascular Disease Risk

According to Science Daily, an inadequate amount of sleep can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Massachusetts General Hospital investigators found out that sleep protects against atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a buildup of arterial plaque on the artery walls. The investigators discovered that disruptions during sleep break down control of inflammatory cell production and can cause more inflammatory, which can lead to heart disease. Mice were tested on by injecting them with atherosclerosis and disrupting their sleep. The experiment concluded that sleep-deprived mice had a decrease level of hypocretin, which is a hormone that regulates white blood cells. Mice that had a decrease level of hypocretin, expressed the gene CSF-1 which is the production for arterial plaques. Therefore, CSF-1 is an increase production of arterial plaques that can cause build up in the artery walls and lead to cardiovascular disease.

This article is very interesting because it proves that sleep deprivation can cause a serious health issue. Not getting a sufficient amount of sleep can cause cardiovascular disease later on in life, but also, there are many other down sides when an individual does not get enough amount of sleep. Therefore, sleep is very important to stay healthier later in life.

The Effects of Poor Eating Can Persist Long After Changing Diet

In a new report that was published in the November 2014 issue of Journal of Leukocyte Biology, a study done on mice has shown that the effects of poor eating habits can last for a long time, long after those eating habits were improved. This is due to the poor eating habits altering the way that genes express themselves, which can lead the immune system functioning poorly.

In the study, the scientists used mice that had an altered gene, making them more likely to develop high blood cholesterol and atherosclerosis. They fed these mice a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet. The bone marrow of these mice were transplanted into genetically similar mice, who had their own bone marrow eliminated. Then, these mice with the transplanted bone marrow were fed a more nutritional diet of chow for many months. The control group of mice had bone marrow transplanted into them from chow-fed mice, and were fed chow for many months. The two groups were measured for the development of atherosclerosis in the heart, and the number/condition of their immune cells. The mice with the bone marrow from the “unhealthy” mice were found to have large differences in their immune system and more likely to have atherosclerosis than those mice with the “healthy” mice bone marrow.

This study can have implications for the treatment of diseases with immune underpinnings in humans, and new treatments that can modify gene expression.

This article shows moreso how our diets affect us in more ways than just weight. I wish the article would have gone more in-depth into the diets given to the mice, because nutrition is more complicated than just “high-fat, high-cholesterol”, knowing that there are good and bad fats/cholesterol. Either way, it never occurred to me that our diets could have such a long term effect on the expression of our genes and gives even more importance to striving to eat healthy.

Link to article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/284896.php