Knockout of myostatin, a growth factor that limits muscle
growth, can decrease body fat and promote resistance against
developing atherosclerosis, or "hardening" of the arteries,
according to a new study conducted in mice. "Obesity increases
the risk of atherosclerosis, which accounts for 75% of all
cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes," said
study co-author Shalender Bhasin, MD, professor of medicine at
Boston University School of Medicine and chief of the Section of
Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition at Boston Medical Center.
"Current strategies aimed at preventing heart disease consist
primarily of lowering cholesterol levels, but patients reaching
the desired cholesterol levels are still at risk for
atherosclerosis if they have other risk factors, such as
obesity." Humans and animals with a mutation in the myostatin
gene are extremely muscular and have little fat, past research
shows. Also, when the gene encoding myostatin is knocked out in
mice, their muscle mass increases. Bhasin