High sugar levels in the body come at a cost to health. New
research suggests that more sugar in the body could damage the elastic proteins
that help us breathe and pump blood. The findings could have health
implications for diabetics, who have high blood-glucose levels.
Researchers at the University of Washington and Boston
University have discovered that a certain type of protein found in organs that
repeatedly stretch and retract – such as the heart and lungs – is the source
for a favorable electrical property that could help build and support healthy
connective tissues. But when exposed to sugar, some of the proteins no longer
could perform their function, according to findings published online April 15
in the journal Physical Review Letters.