Scientists studying mice were able to reverse signs of ageing in the heart by using growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11), which is found at higher levels in the blood of young mice.
The study was published in Cell, and Nature provides more background and quotes from the authors.
“I think it’s a stunning result that, for the first time, points at a secreted protein that maintains the heart in a young state,” says cardiologist Deepak Srivastava, director of the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco, California, who was not involved with the research. “That’s pretty remarkable.”
The team now plans to investigate whether GDF11 effects ageing in other tissues in mice and if it could have similar effects in humans.
Analysis of 12 years of health records for 388000 Americans in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study found that calcium supplements are associated with an excess risk of CVD death in men but not in women.
Total calcium intake had a U-shaped association with total CVD mortality in men, with increased total CVD mortality observed at calcium intakes of 1500mg/d and higher.
Commentary Are Calcium Supplements Harmful to Cardiovascular Disease? concludes, The paradigm ‘the more the better’ is invalid for calcium supplementation.
A new study adds to evidence that there is a link between antidepressants and abnormal electrical activity of the heart.
Two SSRIs (citalopram and escitalopram) and one tricyclic antidepressant (amitriptyline) were associated with a prolonged QT interval, a risk factor for rare heart rhythm problems.
NHS Choices has provided an analysis of the research and explanation of the QT interval, which is electrical activity of the heart measured by an electrocardiogram (ECG).