Humans get heart attacks at far higher rates than other species. Lifestyle can't account for all of the difference — so what else is breaking our hearts?
There are many things that set us humans apart from other species: large brains, bipedalism, a predilection for puns. But we’re also defined by our singular vulnerability to cardiovascular disease.
Namely, the loss of the gene made our forebears deficient in molecules called sialic acids. In the study,, the researchers genetically modified mice to resemble humans in the deficiency of a sialic acid called Neu5Gc. In the modified mice, they found that rates of atherosclerosis — the buildup of fats and cholesterol on artery walls that leads to heart attack — had doubled compared to normal mice. Those that ate red meat meat saw their risk compounded even more.
But 15 percent of people, when they experience their first cardiovascular event, don’t meet any of those criteria. Even healthy vegetarians drop dead for no apparent reason at a far higher rate than other mammals. And conversely, virtually every non-human animal, including chimpanzees leading a sedentary life in captivity, evade heart disease despite many of the same risk factors.
Arnett said she expects to see more insights into the genetics of cardiovascular disease. Other researchers are on the case as well. Thorsten Leucker, a researcher with the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine, who also was not involved in the study, is building a genetic database to look for genes related to heart disease.