Atherosclerosis News and Research

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Atherosclerosis is the progressive buildup of plaque - the fatty deposits and other cells - in the inner walls of the arteries. The condition is a consequence of elevated cholesterol and for many it's a silent disease, with no visible signs or symptoms. The disease can begin in early adulthood and continues to progress for the rest of a person's life. Despite the serious nature of atherosclerosis, many people do not understand how it develops and progresses.

Scientists use blood chemistry to predict disease years before it strikes

Researchers built the largest plasma metabolome-phenome atlas using 274,241 UK Biobank participants, linking over 73,000 metabolite-trait and 52,000 metabolite-disease associations. The study shows metabolic risk scores can predict diseases years before diagnosis, with strong accuracy for diabetes and kidney complications.

22 Sep 2025

UNM researcher develops new model for characterizing different forms of vascular dementia

Vascular dementia - cognitive impairment caused by disease in the brain's small blood vessels - is a widespread problem, but it has not been as thoroughly studied as Alzheimer's disease, in which abnormal plaques and protein tangles are deposited in neural tissue.

19 Sep 2025

Mediterranean diet may protect gums by reducing severe periodontitis

This study reveals that the Mediterranean diet may protect against periodontitis, highlighting its benefits for oral health and inflammation reduction.

18 Sep 2025

Exercise found to reduce artery hardening after weight loss in adults with obesity

Maintaining weight loss with regular exercise rather than the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) liraglutide, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, seems to reduce atherosclerosis development in adults with obesity-a leading underlying cause of cardiovascular disease.

17 Sep 2025

Heart attacks in women under age 65 are caused by factors other than clogged arteries

A new Mayo Clinic study finds that many heart attacks in people under 65 - especially women - are caused by factors other than clogged arteries, challenging long-standing assumptions about how heart attacks occur in younger populations.

15 Sep 2025

Ketogenic diets may lower migraine frequency and medication use

This narrative review argues that the migraine brain is hypometabolic, with converging evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired glucose handling, neuroinflammation, microbiome shifts, and obesity-related pathways. It proposes ketogenic diets as a plausible preventive strategy that may reduce monthly migraine days and medication use, while emphasizing the need for larger, rigorous randomized trials and careful clinical oversight.

14 Sep 2025

Study challenges conventional thinking about the onset of Type 2 diabetes

A study from The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center indicates that changes in the body that lead to Type 2 diabetes occur long before current diagnostic thresholds for prediabetes are met.

11 Sep 2025

CRISPR-based therapeutic approach designed to treat fatal pediatric disease

Multisystemic smooth muscle dysfunction syndrome (MSMDS) is a rare condition associated with stroke, aortic dissection (tearing) and death in childhood.

11 Sep 2025

Experts warn tiny plastics in arteries may raise heart attack risk

Experts caution that nanoplastics and microplastics may constitute an emerging cardiovascular risk factor, with particles identified in arterial plaques associated with a 4.5-fold increase in major adverse cardiovascular events. Experimental evidence points to inflammation, oxidative stress, and vascular injury as key mechanisms.

10 Sep 2025

Lung tumors rewire immune cells in the bone marrow before they reach cancer sites

Lung tumors don't just evade the immune system. They reshape it at its source. Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators report in the September 10 online issue of Nature that tumors rewire immune cells in the bone marrow before they even reach the cancer, suggesting a new target to enhance the durability of current immunotherapy

10 Sep 2025

Amino acid homocysteine plays a key role in aortic stiffening

In addition to cholesterol, the amino acid homocysteine also plays a role in aortic stiffening. Researchers from Graz University of Technology, the University of Graz and the Medical University of Graz were able to prove this in a new study.

9 Sep 2025

Evolocumab fails to reduce vein graft disease after coronary artery bypass surgery

After coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), evolocumab did not reduce saphenous vein graft disease rates at 2 years compared with placebo, according to late-breaking research presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2025 and simultaneously published in Lancet.

3 Sep 2025

ESC and EAS release new dyslipidaemia guidelines

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) have just published the new international recommendations for managing dyslipidaemias. They were presented at the Annual Cardiology Congress held in Madrid from August 29th to September 1st, 2025.

2 Sep 2025

Miniature camera and AI reveal hidden dangers inside the coronary arteries

Measurements with a miniature camera inside the coronary arteries can accurately predict whether someone will suffer a recurrent heart attack.

1 Sep 2025

Inclisiran helps more high-risk patients reach LDL cholesterol goals compared to standard therapy

More patients with hypercholesterolemia at high/very high risk of cardiovascular (CV) events achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals with inclisiran compared with placebo, when given on top of individually optimized lipid-lowering therapy, according to a late-breaking trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2025.

1 Sep 2025

Diabetes drug metformin alters blood metal levels in humans

The widely used diabetes drug metformin changes blood metal levels in humans. The Kobe University study is an important step in understanding the drug's many actions and designing better ones in the future.

1 Sep 2025

Can oral bacteria make heart disease worse?

The presence of viridans streptococci in coronary plaques indicates a role in atherosclerosis, potentially influencing heart disease outcomes.

1 Sep 2025

New discovery challenges the conventional understanding of myocardial infarction pathogenesis

A pioneering study by researchers from Finland and the UK has demonstrated for the first time that myocardial infarction may be an infectious disease.

27 Aug 2025

Elevated TMAO levels linked to higher risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms

Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered a connection between elevated blood levels of TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide) - a byproduct of gut bacteria digestion of nutrients found in red meat and other animal products - and a higher risk of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

20 Aug 2025

Seven blood metabolites associated with excessive daytime sleepiness

Mass General Brigham researchers identified seven molecules in the blood linked to excessive daytime sleepiness, including factors related to diet and hormones.

20 Aug 2025