Is Your Heart Health Linked to Anti-PC Antibody Levels?

Is Your Heart Health Linked to Anti-PC Antibody Levels?
Is Your Heart Health Linked to Anti-PC Antibody Levels?

United States: A study by researchers at Karolinska Institute found that low levels of a special antibody called anti-PC may increase the risk of heart disease in women. This means that having less of this antibody could lead to a higher chance of heart problems like heart attacks.

As reported by the Scitechdaily, the researchers want to learn more about what levels of anti-PC are protective and are also exploring the possibility of creating a vaccine. These important findings were shared in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, showing a new way to understand heart health in women.

Cardiovascular disease is in Sweden the most common cause of death in women as well as in men. However, acute consideration to female’s heart disease is scarce too has been paid in research outcomes.

The women develop the disease later in their reproductive age and are generally more predisposed to conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and congestive heart failure.

Now a new study demonstrates how low levels of antibodies to the fatty substance phosphorylcholine also known as anti-PC may be the newest independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women after the age of 50. Previous studies have shown that this is so in men.

With the studied population sample, it is possible to demonstrate that a low level of the natural antibody to phosphorylcholine can be used as a risk marker for CVD in women irrespective of the previously ascertained risk factors.

“As we have earlier demonstrated, the antibody has an anti-inflammatory action which implies that it prevents against atherosclerosis, which is an ongoing inflammation of the vessel wall,” explains Johan Frostegård.

This work based on the Swedish Mammography Cohort (SMC) with 932 women of average age 66 years that was followed up for 16 years. Of these, 113 women developed cardiovascular disease.

The study reveals that high levels of the anti-PC antibody mean that women had 25% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease and heart attack. However, the study could not reveal which level offered an added layer of protection.

‘We now need to go further to establish at what point on the scale of anti-PC can be used as a risk level like the levels established for hypertension for example.’ Currently, we are envisioning an even larger associated study with both male and female participants where we would like to attain such a level, says Johan Frostegård.

The researchers hope that the study can contribute to the development of vaccine against atherosclerosis that can raise the level of anti-PC in those who show the riskily low levels.