Bear bile could help prevent arrhythmia in heart attack sufferers

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This headline is based on a laboratory study investigating the effects of bile acid on the electrical signals of foetal heart cells from rats. The study found that the addition of a specific bile acid called ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) to a layer of rat foetal heart cells protected them against impaired electrical signals – a characteristic of irregular heart rhythm.

The study provides an important new insight into a potential therapy for heart arrhythmia at the cellular level. However, this study on rat cells in the laboratory cannot show whether UDCA will be effective at reducing arrhythmia in either adults or children.

Further research is needed to see whether the protective effects of UDCA seen in this laboratory study will translate into similar effects on human heart cells and if there are any safety issues. Although UDCA can be derived from bear bile, the drug is more commonly produced synthetically, as was the case in this study.

Ref and Read more: http://www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/news/health/bear_bile_chemical_studied_for_irregular_hearts_1_2934748

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