SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A simple test may soon be able to tell doctors if someone is at risk for heart disease. Medical correspondent Holly Firfer has been looking into that.</s>HOLLY FIRFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Scientists have found the first strong link between a common gene and a risk for heart attack and stroke. A study in today's "New England Journal of Medicine" says people with a variant form of a gene sometimes called ALOX5 are at a higher risk for arthrosclerosis, or a buildup of cholesterol in the artery walls. Following 470 men and women in Los Angeles over an 18 month period, researchers say although they have known for many years that the risk of heart disease may run in some families, this new information shows a definite link to diet. For those who carry a high risk form of this gene, which was about five percent of the study participants, certain polyunsaturated fats found in some meats and vegetable oils greatly increased the risk of a buildup of cholesterol in the artery walls. How does this work? Well, scientists say a protein associated with the gene converts fatty acids into molecules that are involved in inflammation, and inflammation is part of the process that leads to clogged arteries. The results of the study further showed that eating healthy fats, like omega three fatty acids, found in oily fish like salmon, can help those with the gene reduce the risk of heart disease. Earlier research linked the same gene to asthma, suggesting that prescribing existing asthma medications may prevent and control the clogging of the arteries in those with the gene. One researcher involved in the study suggests that knowing someone has this gene could be a marker for heart disease and it could help improve diagnosis, aid in prevention by changing someone's diet and even help in treatment. Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.</s>O'BRIEN: The study also found that Asian-Americans and African- Americans, who suffer higher rates of heart disease, had higher rates of carrying the variant.
New Test May Help Diagnose Heart Disease Early