A new study from the University of Sydney has revealed how type 2 diabetes directly alters the heart\u2019s structure and energy systems, offering vital insights into why people with diabetes are at greater risk of heart failure.<\/p>\n
Published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, the research was led by Dr. Benjamin Hunter and Associate Professor Sean Lal from the School of Medical Sciences. The researchers analysed donated human heart tissue from patients undergoing heart transplantation in Sydney and found that diabetes causes distinct molecular changes to heart cells and structural changes to the muscle, especially in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy<\/a>, the most common cause of heart failure.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve long seen a correlation between heart disease and type 2 diabetes,\u201d said Dr. Hunter, \u201cbut this is the first research to jointly look at diabetes and ischaemic heart disease and uncover a unique molecular profile in people with both conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cOur findings show that diabetes alters how the heart produces energy, maintains its structure under stress, and contracts to pump blood.\u00a0Using advanced microscopy techniques, we were able to see direct changes to the heart muscle as a result of this, in the form of a build-up of fibrous tissue.\u201d<\/p>\n Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia and over 1.2 million people live with type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n Our research links heart disease and diabetes in ways that have never been demonstrated in humans, offering new insights into potential treatment strategies that could one day benefit millions of people in Australia and globally.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Sean Lal, Associate Professor, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney<\/p>\n Getting to the heart of the problem<\/p>\n The researchers examined heart tissue from transplant recipients and healthy donors.\u00a0<\/p>\n The study discovered that diabetes is not just a co-morbidity for heart disease \u2013 it actively worsens heart failure by disrupting key biological processes and reshapes the heart muscle at a microscopic level.<\/p>\n \u201cThe metabolic effect of diabetes in the heart is not fully understood in humans,\u201d said Dr Hunter.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder healthy conditions, the heart primarily uses fats but also glucose and ketones as fuel for energy. It has previously been described that glucose uptake is increased in heart failure, however, diabetes reduces the insulin sensitivity of glucose transporters \u2013 proteins that move glucose in and out of cells \u2013 in heart muscle cells.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe observed that diabetes worsens the molecular characteristics of heart failure in patients with advanced heart disease and increases the stress on mitochondria \u2013 the powerhouse of the cell which produces energy.\u201d<\/p>\n