Don't go breaking my heart

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of death in developed countries, and atherosclerosis, the gradual build-up of fat in the arteries, plays a major role. In our research, we combine information from large national registries, such as military conscription data, with SCAPIS, one of the world’s largest collections of advanced heart images. This allows us to explore whether factors measured in adolescence, such as blood pressure, fitness, and muscle strength, are linked to signs of atherosclerosis many years later. By looking at these early-life patterns, we hope to identify warning signs of poorer cardiovascular health later in life and better understand when heart disease may begin.

Heart rhythm disorders affect millions of people and often lead to sudden cardiac death. To better understand these arrhythmic events and find new treatments, researchers are turning to an unlikely helper: the zebrafish. Despite its small size, the zebrafish has a heart that shares many key features with the human heart. Remarkably, zebrafish embryos are transparent, allowing scientists to watch the heartbeat in real time. With genetic tools that make the heart glow green, combined with precise injection methods and fluorescence imaging, zebrafish allow researchers to study how cardiac rhythm is generated, how it can go wrong, and how compounds can correct it. In particular, one group of compounds - polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), found in corn, plant, and fish oils, has shown promising effects in correcting abnormal heart rhythms.