Some interesting research from New Zealand has found its way to our newsroom recently concerning the discovery of a new protein that is secreted by human body fat that can hamper cardio function following a heart attack.

The protein that is called resistin was found to be present heavily in the fatty tissues that clog up arteries in the heart. The research that was done at Otago University’s School of Medicine clearly saw that resistin reduced the ability of the heart to properly recover after a heart attack.

The lead researcher said that they now felt that the fatty tissue in arteries was a much more negative indicator of heart disease and body chemical function than previously thought and that lots of different types of harmful proteins and hormones were to be found in the fatty tissues of obese men and women.

In the study the researchers showed that the human heart can only function at a level of 68% when compared to its pre attack functional ability when the levels of the protein resistin are elevated. This figure normally is about 90% but with high resistin levels a big difference was noted that was previously not known to scientists.

More research is being done on this protein and on its production in obese people but whatever the case the indications are that the formation of the resistin is yet another obesity related side effect that obese people should know about.

The research may also allow doctors to assess the likelihood of heart attacks in their patients and warn about it as well as develop drugs to counteract the harmful effect of the resistin. The list of obesity related illnesses is very extensive and this recent research has just given another reason to obese people to make a serious effort to shed weight.