Test to predict heart risk

Scientists analysed blood samples

Scientists have used a simple test to identify people who may be at increased risk of heart disease.

The team from Cambridge University has found that an increased level of glucose in the bloodstream is an accurate indicator of heart problems to come.

Further research could well lead to potential new screening tools

British Heart Foundation

The measurement of blood glucose can be problematic as levels rise and fall rapidly depending on what a person has recently eaten.

However, the Cambridge scientists used a different measurement which they believe gives an indication of average blood glucose levels over a three month period.

They believe the test could be used both to identify patients at very high risk who may benefit most from drug treatments to reduce their risk of heart disease, and those at a more moderate risk who simply need to modify their lifestyle.

It would be more easy for GPs to use than current tests, which rely on patients fasting for hours in advance.

Data

The Cambridge team studied data on 4,662 men collected for a separate study about cancer.

They found that those men with the highest blood glucose levels were most at risk from cardiovascular disease.

The lower the concentration, the lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Men with diabetes - a condition in which the body cannot regulate glucose levels - were most at risk.

But the finding applied equally to men who did not have the condition.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, the researchers say that a reduction of just 0.1% or 0.2% blood glucose concentration in the whole population would reduce death from cardiovascular disease by 5% and 10% respectively.

They say health promotion experts should try to encourage people to adapt their lifestyles to reduce their blood glucose concentration, either through adopting a better diet or taking more exercise.

Mistaken belief

Lead researcher Professor Kay-Tee Khaw said: "There has been a belief that while diabetics are at increased risk of heart disease, people who have moderately raised blood glucose levels and who are not diabetic are not at risk. This is not the case."

The reason why high glucose levels are linked to cardiovascular disease is unclear.

A spokeswoman for the British Heart Foundation said: "It is thought that if blood glucose levels remain at a higher level and are uncontrolled, this in itself may affect the lining of the arterial wall, making it more susceptible to arteriosclerosis or 'furring up' of the arteries.

"This new research is therefore very interesting and further research could well lead to potential new screening tools, particularly for people in high risk groups.

"High glucose levels may also relate to factors which are known to play a key role in the development of coronary heart disease, such as a poor diet, obesity or lack of exercise.

"A screening device which determines glucose levels could therefore identify those people who would most benefit from making simple changes to their lifestyle, thereby reducing their risk of cardiovascular disease."

The Cambridge team measured blood glucose levels by examining the amount of glucose in the haemoglobin - the component of blood which carries oxygen to the cells of the body.