American Heart Association Journal, Circulation, Publishes New Peer-Reviewed Study Involving Protandim®
Study Concludes that Protandim Preserved Heart Function and Demonstrated Strong
Cardioprotective Effects in an Animal Model of Lung Disease
Osteopontin levels reduced by more than 50%;
Heart output preserved and cardiac fibrosis prevented in animals
San Diego, CA, November 3, 2009,
A peer-reviewed manuscript published in the prestigious American Heart Association journal Circulation, Dr. Norbert Voelkel and researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), demonstrated the ability of Protandim, the Company’s patented dietary supplement composed of five highly synergistic “indirect antioxidants”, to protect the heart in a laboratory model of pulmonary hypertension in rats.
Pulmonary hypertension is a health condition characterized by high blood pressure in the circulation between the heart and lungs and can result in death due to right heart failure. In this study, pulmonary hypertension was induced in the animals through a drug and by creating an oxygen-poor environment (hypoxia). Animals pre-treated with Protandim experienced strong cardioprotective effects. Protandim was shown to protect the heart by increasing the expression of protective genes and by preventing the formation of scar tissue, or fibrosis, in the heart. The study showed that Protandim also revented capillary loss in the heart muscle of the animals, preserving right heart function despite the continuing stress of pressure overload. Protandim also prevented the death of heart cells and significantly lowered osteopontin (OPN-1) levels by more than 50%. Osteopontin is a factor that leads to scar tissue formation, a cause of heart failure. The researchers in this study described the ability of Protandim to effectively activate the transcription factor Nrf2, a signal to the cell’s DNA to increase expression of a network of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic genes.
“We are encouraged by the results of this study, which was independently funded and independently conducted by Dr. Voelkel and his colleagues at VCU,” stated David Brown, President & CEO of LifeVantage. “These results illustrate the unique antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic properties of Protandim. Scientists have long known of the involvement of oxidative stress in disease processes, and this study is a significant example of how oxidative stress affects susceptibility to right heart failure in animals. Although it would be premature to conclude that similar benefits would be seen in humans, these remarkable results open the door to the possibility of future research on pulmonary hypertension and Protandim in humans.”
See the journals on the American Heart Association Circulation Website.
