An associate professor at Masonic Medical Research Institute has uncovered groundbreaking research into heart health in a recent study that can enhance blood flow to the heart.

“My research really focused on understanding how the heart changes throughout the lifespan and how we could potentially influence the way the heart changes to improve heart health,” said Dr. Matthew Nystoriak. He says this study is a strategy for improving oxygen delivery in patients with ischemic heart disease, which is when the heart isn’t receiving enough oxygen and blood flow. 

“One of the things that these small vessels are capable of doing is that they are partially constricted," Nystoriak said. "What that allows them to do is that when the heart needs more oxygen, they kind of open up and deliver more blood. If that is impaired then it’s a significant problem and over the long term, the heart can remodel to that and that’s when we start to see dysfunction and things like that happening."

The research has highlighted how a ketone, which is a molecule produced by the liver when breaking down fat, can enhance the blood flow to the heart. 

“These clinical studies showing that when ketones are raised in the blood, you can actually improve heart health in the long run," Nystoriak said. "And in the short term, we know that improves oxygen delivery."

Nystoriak says the strategies that could be used to restore this may be straightforward. So, rather than having to take an extra pill, it could be something simple, like a change in diet, that could include reducing carbs and increasing healthy fats. 

“We wanted to know how this works so maybe you can take advantage of understanding this to try to improve the health of somebody that has problems related to this imbalance,” Nystoriak said.