Explaining Heart Failure as a Cause of Diabetes

Researchers in the journal Cell Metabolism may have found the pathway by which heart failure can lead to diabetes. The incidence of heart failure is high among diabetic patients and heart failure patients have a higher prevalence of insulin resistance. Also, when insulin resistance is treated, the prognosis of heart failure patients is improved. This suggests a connection between diabetes and heart failure.

Figure 1. p53: a tumor-supressing protein and cellular aging signal

This connection was targeted as a physiological pathway starting with a cardiac stress response which activates p53 (protein 53: a tumor-suppressing protein). This cellular aging signal, according to researcher Tohru Minamino of the Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, will eventually lead to "inflammation in fat tissue, systemic insulin resistance, and worsening heart function". The buildup of p53 in heart tissue and fat tissue leads to interactions between the two tissues which will accelerate aging and the development of age-related diseases.

From these findings, researchers drew the conclusion that an ideal treatment would stop the inflammation associated with p53 while leaving its tumor-fighting abilities intact, or as Minamino states it: an antiaging therapy without the cancer risk.

The article can be found here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120103135129.htm