The heart needs a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients to keep beating — but the type of nutrients it relies on most depends on how healthy the heart is, according to new research.
In a study published Thursday in Science, researchers mapped the uptake and release of 277 metabolites by comparing blood circulating through the hearts and legs of 110 participants with and without heart failure. That revealed that relatively healthy hearts leaned heavily on fat, proteins, and ketones as a food source, while failing hearts relied far more on proteins and ketones to continue pumping.
The research offers new insights into the little-understood area of how the heart harnesses energy, and how that process changes during heart failure.
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