Dietary supplement may ‘dramatically’ reverse heart disease

A dietary supplement is capable of “dramatically” reversing signs of heart disease in certain patients, according to new research.

The commercially available supplement tricaprin has been found to relieve painful symptoms of coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as instigate a “remarkable regression” of the build-up of a type of fat that can be found in the blood and stored in fat cells, called triglyceride, in the heart’s blood vessels.

It has the potential of helping countless patients unresponsive to current treatments, who are suffering the debilitating effects of heart disease, according to the study’s authors.

Tricaprin is capable of promoting the breakdown of lipids such as triglyceride, which are commonly found in fatty foods and oils, by the muscle cells of the heart, Osaka University researchers say.

In the study published in the European Heart Journal, scientists report that taking a tricaprin supplement routinely resulted in coronary artery plaque regression and the alleviation of symptoms among patients with a type of CAD called triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy (TGCV).

CAD is defined as the narrowing or even closing of the arteries of the heart, due to the build-up of fat inside arterial blood vessels, which often leads to heart attacks.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs and drug-eluting stents are often provided as treatment for the condition, which can have fatal consequences, as death from CAD is still very common. Some patients are even known to be resistant to these current treatments.

In one case study, a 65-year-old man had chest pains occurring mainly at night with a history of type 2 diabetes. He started therapy with tricaprin-rich products and his symptoms began to improve, the study says.

Previously, his chest pain had been unsuccessfully treated with a number of drugs, until a diagnosis of TGCV was made by the team.

Six years after starting tricaprin, he was declared free from his angina condition.

In a second case study, a 60-year-old man with a 3-year history of type 2 diabetes , was referred to the teams’s institute for a detailed examination. He suffered from unstable angina, where he received a stent implantation and drug-coated balloon angioplasty.

Three months following tricaprin treatment, regression and revascularisation were observed, the volume of lipids found in his coronary vessels was reduced, and his narrowed vessels had widened, according to the study.

Lead study author Ken-ichi Hirano said: “Almost 15 years ago we identified a new type of CAD called triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy (TGCV), in which the coronary arteries are occluded by triglyceride deposits generated by defective intracellular breakdown of triglycerides in vascular smooth muscle cells.

“This mechanism makes TGCV distinct from classic cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis, and accounts for patients who are resistant to standard remedies for CAD.”