Research has found that a dietary supplement may resolve symptoms of a specific type of coronary artery disease (CAD) as well as statin drugs!
The supplement is called tricaprin, and researchers in Japan have found it can dramatically reverse the signs of heart disease in a specific subset of patients.
In a study that was recently published in European Heart Journal, researchers from Osaka University found the supplement could be very helpful in patients with a specific kind of heart disease known as – triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy of “TGCV.”
Ken-ichi Hirano, lead author of the study, explains the condition.
“Almost 15 years ago, we identified a new type of cardiovascular disease called triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy, in which the coronary arteries are occluded by triglyceride deposits generated by defective intracellular breakdown of triglycerides in vascular smooth muscle cells. This mechanism makes TGCV distinct from classic cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis, and accounts for patients who are resistant to standard remedies for CAD.”
Such remedies include cholesterol-reducing drugs and specialized drug delivery systems.
Dr. Hirano and his team developed diagnostic criteria for TGCV and provided evidence that this condition is especially prevalent in patients with diabetes mellitus and those who have undergone hemodialysis. Despite the ability to diagnose this condition, an effective treatment for these patients remained elusive.
“Now we report a remarkable regression of diffuse coronary atherosclerosis in two patients with TGCV,” states Ken-ichi Hirano. “Both had suffered from refractory chest pain and diabetes until diagnosis with TGCV, and subsequent dietary intake of tricaprin led to symptom relief.”
Tricaprin is a commercially available food supplement that promotes lipid breakdown by heart muscle cells. In addition to relieving these patients’ troublesome and painful symptoms, tricaprin also resulted in remarkable regression of the triglyceride build-up in the blood vessels of the heart.
Given that not all patients respond to current treatments for CAD, the findings from this study pave the way toward establishing a multi-faceted approach to CAD treatment.
The dramatic results achieved by administering a readily available dietary supplement hold promise for patients who would otherwise continue to suffer the debilitating effects of this disease.