Technician Findings Reduce Heart Attack Chances In 40% Of Diabetics

Reported November 30, 2007

Technion researchers have found that vitamin E supplements can significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks and related deaths for diabetics who carry the ‘Hp 2-2 gene’, the particular variant of the ‘haptoglobin gene’ held by 40% of diabetes sufferers.

Dr. Andrew Levy, who headed up the team of researchers at the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, found that after 18 months of daily vitamin E consumption, there where 50% fewer heart attacks, strokes and related compared deaths to those who took a placebo pill. The researchers found no side-effects in patients who took vitamin E.

Haptoglobin, of which there are several versions, is a powerful antioxidant protein that stabilizes the iron-rich red blood cell molecule called hemoglobin, preventing inflammation in the walls of arteries. In previous studies, Levy and his colleagues showed that patients with Hp 2-2 are two-to-three times more likely than other diabetics to suffer a cardiovascular event such as heart attack.

When speaking about the future implications in genetic testing for the Hp 2-2 gene, Dr. Andrew Levy of the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine commented: “The study may be useful to identify a large group of diabetic individuals who could potentially derive cardiovascular benefit from a very inexpensive treatment.”

Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is Israel’s leading science and technology university. Home to the country’s first winners of the Nobel Prize in science, it commands a worldwide reputation for its pioneering work in nanotechnology, computer science, biotechnology and medicine.

The University’s faculties include physical sciences, engineering and it boasts one of the top medical schools in the world. The Technion, Israel’s oldest university has in recent years pioneered advances in many fields. This includes discoveries made in developing the most advanced drug to treat Parkinson’s disease and apparatus that improves walking for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients - and the Technion has one of the only graduate programmes to design, build, and launch satellites. Many breakthrough genetic discoveries have been made at the Technion including creating new heart muscle with its own blood supply using human embryonic stem cells.

The Technion University also has a range of outreach programs that promote science and technology to young people. The exciting programme engages gifted youngsters from across the world whilst helping to bridge socio-economic gaps within Israel’s society via education.

Due to the ingenuity of Technion alumni, Israel is now home to the greatest concentration of high-tech start up companies anywhere outside of the Silicon Valley. Such is the strength of the Technion’s academia that 74% of managers in Israel’s electronic industries hold Technion degrees.