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Chronic short sleep is badociated with an increased risk of clogged arteries, heart disease and therefore increased morbidity and mortality. New search in Experimental physiology may have understood why lack of sleep increases susceptibility to heart disease and allows doctors to identify patients who may need to change their habits before developing the disease.
In adults who regularly slept less than 7 hours per night, levels of some microRNAs (molecules that affect the expression or non-expression of a gene) were lower. These molecules play a key role in the regulation of vascular health and, as a result, it is now recognized that their levels are sensitive and specific biomarkers of cardiovascular health, inflammation and disease. In other words, a drop in the level of these molecules is badociated with heart disease. They could therefore be used as a biomarker to determine who is most susceptible to the disease.
The researchers tested sedentary adults of middle age without heart disease in the large local metropolis surrounding Denver and Boulder, Colorado. Subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to accurately estimate average nighttime sleep. A small amount of blood was taken from each subject after a night fast. The microRNAs 125a, 126 and 146a were extracted from the blood and measured.
Jamie Hijmans, an author of the study, said: "The link between sleep failure and cardiovascular disease may be due, in part, to changes in microRNAs. The fluctuations in miRNA levels may serve warning or guide for the stage and course of the disease. "
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