Metabolite profiling has identified four new biomarkers that improve the prediction of the risk for heart attack or stroke within the next 15 years, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in Circulation. Phenylalanine and three measures of fatty acids independently predict future cardiovascular events and could, the authors say, provide a low-cost means of improving risk assessment. “These new biomarkers can help to better assess the complex molecular processes behind the development of cardiovascular disease,” said lead author Peter Würtz, Ph.D., in a statement. “The improved prediction of cardiovascular risk also suggests cost savings in healthcare by advanced biomarker profiling.” Profiling metabolic status, the researchers say, may provide insights into the underlying mechanisms associated with atherosclerosis formation. The international group of researchers used a high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy platform to qualitatively identify biomarkers tied to incident cardiovascular disease over long-term follow-up. NMR spectroscopy allows for assessment of over 200 metabolism-related markers from a single blood sample. Biomarker discovery was conducted using data from the FINRISK study (n=7,256; 800 cardiovascular events) with validation occurring using data from the SABRE study (n=2,622; 573 events) and British Women’s Health and Heart Study (BWHHS; n=3,563; 368 events). The researchers found […]