You “heart” what you eat!
(2021) Cardiovascular Research — Vol. 117, n° 11, p. 2294-2296 (2021)
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- Abstract
- The common say “You are what you eat” amply echoed in the media highlights the insatiable appetite of the public for special diets to improve health, including cardiovascular health. It is generally accepted that diets rich in carbohydrates (e.g. in sodas) increase mortality (1); conversely, adopting diets with low carbohydrates has a mixed effect altogether, raising question about the importance of the percentage composition of other nutrients on organ function. For example, low carbohydrates combined with high fat increase ketogenesis in the liver (2), and ketone bodies (beta-hydroxybutyrate and aceto-acetate, principally) are likely to mediate indirect effects of such diet on the heart (3). The healthy heart is indeed characterized by a metabolic flexibility where a multitude of ATP-generating substrates can be used according to their availability and the hormonal status. Beside fatty acids and carbohydrates (glucose, pyruvate and lactate) which remain predominant, ketone bodies can be efficiently catabolized by the heart, especially under prolonged fasting. The failing heart can also use ketone bodies as an alternative fuel that helps maintain its function. Could a similar metabolic flexibility be used to influence cardiac remodeling in the face of hemodynamic stress ?
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Balligand, J.-L., & Bertrand, L. (2021). You “heart” what you eat! Cardiovascular Research, 117(11), 2294-2296. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvab118 (Original work published 2021)