Atherosclerotic plaque builds up gradually in the walls of the body’s arteries. Ruptured plaque can trigger clots that cause life-threatening conditions, such as stroke and heart attacks.

Now, for the first time, analysis of plaque removed by surgery show that the metabolism of unstable plaque seems to be re-programmed in the same way as in white blood cells that cause inflammation. The results suggest that treatment with drugs that counteract the altering of metabolism could be a new approach to limit the inflammation in plaque that causes cardiovascular disease.

“The altered metabolism we have identified in high-risk plaque is also present in cancer cells. Just as the metabolism in cancer cells is re-programmed to be able to digest sugar quickly, the sugar uptake of the dangerous plaque seems to be greater than that of stable plaque,” explains Harry Björkbacka, associate professor of experimental cardiovascular research at Lund University.

The difference in metabolism between unstable and stable plaque indicates that cardiovascular disease, like cancer tumors, might be limited through treatment with drugs that attack the metabolism. The next step for the researchers behind the study is to attempt to establish this link.