Anesthesiologists' Study Says Intense Light Prevents, Treats Heart Attacks

A new study published in Nature Medicine has found that intense light may alter the heart's metabolism and can be used to treat heart attacks in patients, according to a redOrbit report.

"The study suggests that strong light, or even just daylight, might ease the risk of having a heart attack or suffering damage from one," says Tobias Eckle, MD, PhD, an associate professor of anesthesiology, cardiology, and cell and developmental biology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "For patients, this could mean that daylight exposure inside of the hospital could reduce the damage that is caused by a heart attack."

Dr. Eckle and Holger Eltzschig, MD, a CU professor of anesthesiology, found that a protein known as Period 2 plays a significant role in deflecting damage from a heart attack. The protein is vital in the process of changing fat to glucose, and therefore could make heart metabolism more efficient, the study said.

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