Healthy living

Body matters

Broken hearts can heal themselves

Hospital room

It seems the heart has an effective self-defence system that helps it recover from damage

The heart is its own best healer, according to findings by researchers at the University of Bristol. Patients who survive coronary disease develop stronger hearts, which make them more resistant to the damage caused by cardiac surgery, according to a report published in the US journal, Critical Care Medicine.

This is important because almost 30,000 patients a year undergo coronary artery bypass operations each year in the UK. During the operation, the heart is stopped and as a result can suffer damage to its tissue.

The researchers believe that this heart protection mechanism could help scientists improve treatments for patients in the future. Professor Saadeh Suleiman, who led the study, said: "The heart is a very clever organ - we think that it has the ability to change its chemical pathways to respond to the damage caused by heart disease. We believe that we could target these pathways to help people who are undergoing heart surgery."

The Bristol team used genetically modified mice to look at the effects of heart disease. Some of the modified mice were fed a 'Western-style' high-fat diet over 24 weeks to induce heart disease, while others followed a normal rodent diet.

After mock cardiac surgery was carried out, the researchers found the hearts of the mice who had been on the high-fat diet coped better with the stresses of the operation than those of the normally-fed mice.

According to Professor Jeremy Pearson of the British Heart Foundation: 'These findings take an important step towards untangling the heart's complex protective mechanisms, which will help researchers devise treatments to reduce the risks for patients during heart surgery.'

Meanwhile, however, all the experts agree prevention is better than cure. Avoiding a high-fat diet that contributes to heart damage will make it less likely that you will ever need to undergo cardiac surgery in the first place.

How to follow a healthy-heart diet
  • Eat a balanced diet, with plenty of fruit and vegetables
  • Keep your salt intake to a minimum
  • Cut down on fatty foods
  • Maintain a healthy weight for your height
  • Don’t smoke
  • Try to do at least 30 minutes’exercise, five days a week
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.

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