UCLA study challenges long-held hypothesis that iron promotes atherosclerosis

A UCLA research team has found no evidence of an association between iron levels in the body and the risk of atherosclerosis, the hardening and narrowing of the arteries that leads to cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 killer in the U.S.   The discovery, based on a comprehensive study in a mouse model of atherosclerosis, contradicts a long-held hypothesis about the role of iron in the disease and carries important implications for patients with chronic kidney disease or anemia related to inflammatory disorders, many of whom receive high-dose iron supplementation therapy. The findings currently appear online in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports.   "Understanding risk factors for atherosclerosis progression is important for better prevention and treatment of the disease," said senior author Elizabeta Nemeth, a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and co-director of the UCLA Center for Iron Disorders. "For many years, there has been a belief that higher iron levels might contribute to, or worsen, atherosclerosis. We found no such connection."   The observation that men and postmenopausal women have both higher body iron levels and higher rates of atherosclerosis than premenopausal women led more than 30 years ago to the "iron hypothesis" — the notion that higher iron levels might promote atherosclerosis by generating more oxidative stress and promoting inflammation. However, subsequent studies noted that in di...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news