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Scientists suggest treating heart attack with light
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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There are many methods of treating a heart attack (myocardial infarction): cardiopulmonary resuscitation, aspirin, clot-busting substances, etc. Scientists from the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado (United States) offer the latest method - treating a heart attack with light.
The study found that intense light, including daylight, can reduce the risk of heart attack or minimize the damage to the heart muscle caused by it. So what is the connection between light and heart attack? As it turns out, the link is the circadian biological rhythm - the cyclical daily fluctuation of biological processes in the body. Circadian rhythms are regulated by proteins in the brain, although they are also found in other human organs, including the heart.
One of these proteins, Period 2, is key to preventing damage from myocardial infarction, the researchers found. Heart attacks occur when blood flow is disrupted by a blood clot or bleeding, which obviously prevents the heart from getting enough oxygen. Without oxygen, the heart switches from its usual fuel, lipids, to glucose. If this switch does not occur, heart cells die and the heart muscle is damaged.
Period 2 plays a significant role in the switch of myocardial cells from lipids to glucose, and therefore this protein can make the metabolism of the heart muscle more efficient. Experiments have shown that strong daylight activates the protein Period 2 in animals and reduces the damage from a heart attack.
More research is needed to find out how light changes the metabolism of the human heart muscle and how this discovery can be used to treat myocardial infarction, the authors of the study say.
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