Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018799 (heart disease)
 34,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

There are many diseases of unknown etiology. Increasingly vibrant, contemporary research is attempting to associate trace element metabolism with some of these illnesses. Because trace elements can produce profound effects on health via enzymes, hormones and messenger molecules, analytical assessment must be directed toward these chemicals as well as to the trace elements. Element analysis may be directed best toward specific cells, tissues and organs. Copper deficiency is associated with the etiology, pathogenesis and pathophysiology of ischemic heart disease via metabolic processes affecting cardiovascular health. Some drugs now used to treat heart disease affect copper metabolism but many other metabolic processes are unaffected by deficiency. It seems prudent to avoid diets containing amounts of copper that have been proved insufficient for people in controlled experiments.
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PMID:Ischemic heart disease: nutrition or pharmacotherapy? 821 46

Copper deficiency plays a vital role in atherogenesis. To the long list of risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease should be added the deleterious interaction between copper deficiency and carbohydrate consumption. Here we critically evaluate the role of copper in the diet and its role as a possible etiological factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. A possible mechanism for the development of heart disease due to copper deficiency is proposed. There are many known risk factors for the development of heart disease, including hyperlipidemia and hypertension; however, little emphasis has been placed on the role of copper on heart disease. Over the last couple of decades, dietary copper deficiency has been shown to cause a variety of metabolic changes, including hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, and glucose intolerance. Interestingly, these changes are common in the United States population and they are known risk factors for heart disease. Further research in this field is warranted considering the profound implications to people in the United States and around the world who consume processed foods marginally deficient in copper and replete with sugar. The only nutritional condition with signs and symptoms of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease may be copper deficiency. Improving levels of copper in the diet, by appropriate food selection or by addition of a daily multi-vitamin, is recommended.
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PMID:A deleterious interaction between copper deficiency and sugar ingestion may be the missing link in heart disease. 1817 13