Paracetamol as a preventative for heart disease

HRI research into the uses of paracetamol has shown the 50 year old drug may provide a preventative for heart and other diseases.

“We have been investigating a new use for an old drug as an early preventative for heart disease and the results have been very promising”, HRI’s Professor Michael Davies said.

Professor Davies says the research found paracetamol has able to prevent an enzyme called myeloperoxidase from producing hypochlorous acid, a highly reactive chemical that can damage tissues. The presence of these acids can often predict future heart disease in a patient. The discovery was made using doses of paracetamol in the range that is currently prescribed for pain relief. Professor Davies’ team is now moving the findings to human plasma studies with confidence that they will observe similar positive results.

“The idea would be for doctors to prescribe paracetamol to patients who are in high risk categories, display early signs of developing, or have high myeloperoxidase levels”, Professor Davies said.

 “This is an affordable, available pharmaceutical with few side-effects at normal doses, “It has enormous potential benefit to those at risk of developing heart disease - in short, it’s ideal