Longevity science

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) are recruiting a million participants to join a decade long heart health study. The enabling factor? Smartphones. It’s a great example of information technology bleeding into other fields and speeding their progress. 

If all goes to plan, the UCSF study (dubbed Health eHeart) will be the broadest such study ever completed.

How does fish oil protect the heart? The answer to this question has been elusive so far. Scientists know that omega-3 fatty acids exert an anti-inflammatory effect, but the mechanism had not been clearly followed.

A new study has now mapped the cellular process occurring after EPA supplementation and found that the nutrient blocks the cyclooxygenase enzyme (COX), which is a precursor to inflammation. COX produces hormones called prostaglandins, which cause inflammation in the body.

This is similar to the mechanism of aspirin, which blocks COX-2 signaling, thereby reducing inflammation and pain.

Ref: Norris PC, Dennis EA. “Omega-3 fatty acids cause dramatic changes in TLR4 and purinergic eicosanoid signaling.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 May 14. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22586114

Data from randomized trials support the ability of co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) to improve heart function in people with congestive heart failure (CHF), say scientists from Tulane University in New Orleans.

The authors caution that the results are based on a small number of clinical trials, and that the benefit may be greatest for less severe cases of heart failure.