Heart Health
Signs of Heart Disease -- Not as Simple as "Stop and Go"
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Sep 11, 2008 - 5:38:23 PM

Is One Protein a Sign of Health or Harm?

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - A protein once thought to be a marker of heart-health may actually denote increased risk of heart disease when present in high levels in the elderly, according to a team led by a physician-scientist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Tests for this protein, adiponectin, might tell doctors if older patients are at risk for a heart attack. The findings seem unusual because lower levels of adiponectin are typically associated with obesity and diabetes, which are risk factors linked to heart disease.

The study examined 1,386 older adults, aged 65 to 100. Of these, 604 had heart disease, and those with the highest adiponectin levels were most likely to suffer a heart attack. These findings are featured in a recent issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Dr. Jorge Kizer, an associate professor of medicine and public health at Weill Cornell Medical College and cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell, is the lead author of the study.


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