Metabolic

Oklahoma researchers to help in quest to keep hearts healthier

Oklahoma researchers want to help in the quest to keep hearts healthier for longer.The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation just received a grant to do it. They’ll look into a natural function of the heart that doesn’t work in some people.The condition is seen in elderly people or those with diabetes. Now, with more than $2 million on its side, OMRF hopes to help at-risk people live healthier lives.”The heart is a muscle in your body that never fatigues. Metabolic flexibility refers to the ability of the heart to use different nutrients to make energy,” said Ken Humphries, OMRF scientist. The opposite of the function is inflexibility.”So, the healthy heart uses sugar and fats so that it meets these energy requirements, but with diabetes, the heart cannot use the sugar,” Humphries said.OMRF will use $2.2 million from the National Institutes of Health, find a way to stop the problem at the source. The diabetes center at OU Health said there’s only so much that can be done right now.”Once you’re at the stage where you’re starting to have symptoms of pre-diabetes, of heart failure, of complications, kidney disease, the best thing you can do is try and take a hold of your lifestyle,” said Dr. Jed Friedman, director of Harold Hamm Diabetes Center. The next stage of research will help doctors find ways to keep hearts healthier, longer.”We’re looking at a specific target that could increase metabolic flexibility,” Humphries said.OMRF said the goal of their research is to increase the activity of a new enzyme that would hopefully make inflexible hearts flexible. The scientists behind the project told KOCO 5 that a cure for this problem would help thousands since heart disease is a leading cause of death for many with diabetes and other cardiac conditions.

Oklahoma researchers want to help in the quest to keep hearts healthier for longer.

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation just received a grant to do it. They’ll look into a natural function of the heart that doesn’t work in some people.

The condition is seen in elderly people or those with diabetes. Now, with more than $2 million on its side, OMRF hopes to help at-risk people live healthier lives.

“The heart is a muscle in your body that never fatigues. Metabolic flexibility refers to the ability of the heart to use different nutrients to make energy,” said Ken Humphries, OMRF scientist.

The opposite of the function is inflexibility.

“So, the healthy heart uses sugar and fats so that it meets these energy requirements, but with diabetes, the heart cannot use the sugar,” Humphries said.

OMRF will use $2.2 million from the National Institutes of Health, find a way to stop the problem at the source. The diabetes center at OU Health said there’s only so much that can be done right now.

“Once you’re at the stage where you’re starting to have symptoms of pre-diabetes, of heart failure, of complications, kidney disease, the best thing you can do is try and take a hold of your lifestyle,” said Dr . Jed Friedman, director of the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center.

The next stage of research will help doctors find ways to keep hearts healthier, longer.

“We’re looking at a specific target that could increase metabolic flexibility,” Humphries said.

OMRF said the goal of their research is to increase the activity of a new enzyme that would hopefully make inflexible hearts flexible.

The scientists behind the project told KOCO 5 that a cure for this problem would help thousands since heart disease is a leading cause of death for many with diabetes and other heart conditions.

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