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Methods for the Determination of Rates of Glucose and Fatty Acid Oxidation in the Isolated Working Rat Heart
12:24

Methods for the Determination of Rates of Glucose and Fatty Acid Oxidation in the Isolated Working Rat Heart

Published on: September 28, 2016

Heart rate is associated with markers of fatty acid desaturation: the GOCADAN study

Sven O E Ebbesson1, Juan C Lopez-Alvarenga, Peter M Okin

  • 1GOCADAN Department, Norton Sound Health Corporation, Nome, AK 99762, USA. soebbesson@alaska.edu

International Journal of Circumpolar Health
|March 30, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Heart rate (HR) is linked to fatty acid (FA) desaturation indexes. Specifically, the stearoyl-CoA-desaturase (SCD) index positively correlates with HR, potentially explaining links to sudden cardiac death (SCD).

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Human Physiology

Background:

  • Heart rate (HR) is a critical physiological parameter.
  • Abnormalities in HR are linked to arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death (SCD).
  • Fatty acid (FA) desaturation plays a role in cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between endogenous FA desaturation indexes and basal HR.
  • To explore if desaturase activity influences HR and, consequently, SCD risk.

Main Methods:

  • A community-based cross-sectional study involving 1214 Alaskan Inuit.
  • Analysis of FA concentrations in plasma and red blood cells from 819 participants aged ≥35.
  • Multiple linear regression was used to assess the effect of desaturase indexes on HR, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

  • The Δ(5) desaturase index (Δ(5)-DI) showed a negative correlation with HR.
  • The stearoyl-CoA-desaturase (SCD) index was positively associated with HR.
  • The Δ(6) desaturase index (Δ(6)-DI) demonstrated no significant effect on HR.

Conclusions:

  • Endogenous FA desaturation is associated with HR.
  • The SCD index's positive association with HR may partially explain its link to CVD mortality, arrhythmia, and SCD.
  • These findings suggest a mechanistic link between FA metabolism and cardiac electrical stability.
Abstract

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