Adding a new natural protein in the body has found that it can prevent heart attacks and strokes

Scientists have identified a natural protein in the human body that protects against heart attacks and strokes, and it may be an important premise to help develop new therapies to prevents fat accumulation in arteries.

Specifically, researchers from King's College London in England measured a new protein level called dickkopf 3 (DKK3) in blood samples collected from 574 people in five years. They found that those with higher DKK3 levels were less likely to develop atherosclerosis or die of a heart attack or stroke .

The correlation is also related to factors similar to the risk of atherosclerosis such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, the researchers said.

Atherosclerosis is the accumulation of fat inside arteries. When this material breaks, blood clots can form to prevent blood supply to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.

The researchers found that mice that were cultivated because of the lack of DKK3 genetic protein had a higher risk of developing atherosclerotic plaques, which were less stable than those who could produce DKK3 protein in the body.

They also noted that mice lacking DKK3 protein were also unable to re-develop the endothelial membrane after injury.

This suggests that DKK3 can protect against atherosclerosis by helping repair broken endothelial membranes before any fat builds up.

"Our research shows that we can use a simple blood test to identify people who seem healthy and have a risk of having a heart attack and are often difficult to diagnose by a clinician. Guess that there is a high risk of disease ' - Qingbo Xu, a professor at King's College London, said in a statement.

"Finally, increasing the level of DDK3 can help protect people against the accumulation of harmful fats that cause heart attacks, strokes," Xu added.

Jeremy Perarson, a professor at the British Heart Foundation, said: "By identifying a new protective molecule, this study could be an important prerequisite for making new drugs that reduce the risk of heart attack ."

Every year in the UK there are about 200,000 hospitalizations due to heart attacks.

This study shows that it can help treat the roots of this dangerous disease and ultimately improve the survival rate.

This research has just been published in Circulation magazine.