Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Health experts have for long recognised that consuming fish wards off heart diseases and now a new study has suggested that peptide found in fish contributes in battle against cardiovascular diseases.
Eating oily fish actually lowers the levels of fats called triglycerides in the blood which reduces the risk of heart disease and improves your chances of survival following a heart attack.
The peptide Urotensin II (UII) was first isolated from teleost fish, a class of ray-finned fishes.
UII can modulate a vast array of biologic activities encompassing the cardiovascular system, kidneys and central nervous system, the findings showed.
Professor David Lambert from the University of Leicester in Britain was quoted as saying: “We have been working on this exciting peptide for a number of years; it exhibits a very interesting pharmacological profile. Design and evaluation of small molecule drugs has potential for use in the treatment of several cardiovascular diseases”
Interestingly, the peptide can constrict some blood vessels yet dilate others, the researchers noted.
The study appeared in the journal Pharmacological Reviews.
(With Agency inputs)
