Heartbreaks could be good for the heart

Severe stress caused by a broken heart syndrome could actually be good for the heart. Scientists at the Imperial College London have discovered that a temporary heart failure could actually protect it from high levels of adrenaline. A condition called “Takotsubo cardiomyopath,” also known as a broken heart syndrome, causes patients, older women in particular, to experience symptoms similar to a heart attack. This condition causes the heart to appear “balloon-like” because it does not contract properly. Professor Sian Harding of the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London explained that the stimulatory effect of adrenaline on the heart enables people to get more oxygen around the body but that it can be “damaging when it goes on for too long.” Rats which were tested and injected with high doses of adrenaline were found to have their hearts protected from over-stimulation and toxic levels of adrenaline.

Read the full story on Rappler.