November 1, 2025 • 8 mins
A recent study from Toho University in Japan reveals that ferulic acid, a compound found in common foods like rice bran and coffee, may help prevent coronary artery spasms. The research demonstrates that ferulic acid relaxes arteries through two distinct mechanisms, offering a potential alternative or complement to existing medications. While more human trials are needed, the findings highlight the potential of natural plant compounds to support cardiovascular health.
Read the full article at https://www.paperleap.com/blog/articles/ferulic-acid-a-natural-remedy-for-heart-spasms-0cccu9
Read the full article at https://www.paperleap.com/blog/articles/ferulic-acid-a-natural-remedy-for-heart-spasms-0cccu9
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the paper Leap podcast, where a science takes
the mic. Each episode, we discuss cutting edge research, groundbreaking discoveries,
and the incredible people behind them, across disciplines and across
the world. Whether you're a curious mind, a researcher, or
just love learning, you're in the right place before we start.
(00:21):
Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an insight.
All the content is also available on paperleap dot com. Okay, ready,
let's start. Heart health often evokes thoughts of exercise, diet,
and maybe a daily aspirin, but tucked away in plants
like rice, brand, apples, wheat, and even your morning coffee
(00:44):
is a natural compound that scientists are now studying for
its ability to relax blood vessels furulic acid. A team
of researchers from Toho University in Chiba, Japan, published a
study in the Journal of Pharmacological Sciences where they explored
how farrulic acid affects the heart's arteries. Kinto Yoshioka, kiske Obara,
(01:09):
Yoshio Tanaka, and their colleagues try to answer a big question,
Can this humble plant molecule help prevent dangerous spasms in
coronary arteries the very blood vessels that supply oxygen to
the heart. Let's use an analogy to understand the problem.
Imagine you're watering a garden with a hose. If someone
(01:30):
suddenly squeezes the hose, the water flow stops. That's essentially
what happens during a coronary artery spasm. The artery tightens
so much that blood struggles to reach the heart muscle.
This can trigger chest pain, angina, irregular heartbeats, or even
a heart attack. Doctors already use drugs called calcium channel blockers,
(01:53):
like dilteism or veropimil to relax arteries and prevent these spasms.
These medicines work by block sucking calcium from entering smooth
muscle cells, which keeps the muscles from contracting too tightly.
But not everyone responds to these drugs, and they can
sometimes cause side effects. That's why scientists are always looking
for safer, gentler options. Ferulic acid or FA is a polyphenol,
(02:19):
a type of antioxidant compound plants produced for protection. It's
part of the reason whole grains and fruits are considered
so good for us. Past research has linked FA to
reduce inflammation, lowered blood pressure, and even potential benefits against
Alzheimer's disease, but its role in heart artery relaxation wasn't
(02:39):
fully understood. The Toho University team used pig coronary arteries
for their experiments. Why pigs because their heart arteries are
remarkably similar to ours in structure and function, making them
a trusted model in cardiovascular research. The researchers expose strict
(03:00):
of pig coronary arteries to substances known to trigger spasms,
things like potassium chloride, acetylcholine, serotonin, histamine, and endothyllin one.
Then they added ferrulic acid and watched what happened. They
found that ferulic acid consistently relaxed the arteries, reducing their
(03:21):
contractions in a dose dependent way against certain triggers like acetylcholine, serotonin,
and endothyllin one. FA actually worked better than dilteism, a
widely used prescription calcium channel blocker. FA wasn't just blocking
calcium from entering the cells. It also appeared to interfere
(03:42):
with another contraction pathway inside the muscle cells, one involving
a protein called myocin light chain or MLC When MLC
is phosphorylated chemically switched on, it drives contraction. FA dampens
this process, offering a two approach to preventing spasms. In short,
(04:03):
ferulic acid helps arteries relax both by blocking calcium's entry
and by dialing down the machinery that tells muscles to
contract in the first place. Delteisdem and similar drugs mainly
work through calcium channel blockade, but coordinary artery spasms can
still sneak through other cellular roots. By hitting both calcium
(04:24):
dependent and calcium independent mechanisms, erulic acid may offer broader protection.
In fact, the study found FA was especially powerful against
endothillin one, a potent natural chemical on the body known
to cause stubborn artery spasms that don't always respond well
to conventional drugs. Now, before you start brewing extra cups
(04:48):
of coffee for your heart, here's an important caveat the
effect of doses in the lab were much higher than
what you'd normally get from food. For example, after eating
a slice of bread made with whole wheat, the concentration
of ferulic acid in human blood might reach only about
zero point zero zero zero zero three moles per liter.
(05:10):
Drinking coffee boosts it a little higher, but still not
close to the concentrations between zero point zero zero zero
three and zero point zero zero three moles per liter
that showed strong artery relaxing effects in the study. However,
taking a ferulic acid supplement, typically one hundred to five
(05:30):
hundred milligrams, can push blood levels into the zero point
zero zero zero zero one mole per liter range, which
might just be enough to matter. Interestingly, this is not
so far off from the blood levels of prescription diltyism
after a normal dose. That suggests that at least in
perin supplement forms of ferulic acid could have meaningful cardiovascular effects.
(05:56):
One encouraging note unlike many pharmaceuticals ferullic acids, it hasn't
been linked to major side effects. In fact, in one
clinical trial, participants took one thousand milligrams of FA per
day for six weeks without problems and actually saw improvements
in cholesterol and inflammation. That doesn't mean it's ready to
replace prescription drugs, but it does suggest a good safety profile.
(06:22):
This research highlights a promising trend looking to natural compounds
in our diets as sources of future medicines. Aspirin came
from willibark statins. The cholesterol lowering drugs were discovered from fungi.
Now scientists are exploring whether everyday plant molecules like firulin
acid could play a role in preventing some of our
(06:44):
most feared diseases. The Toho University team study opens the
door to new possibilities and questions. Could ferulic acid be
developed into a safe plant based therapy for patients who
don't respond well to current drugs, Could combining ferulic acid
with existing medications improve outcomes, or could we one day
(07:07):
design new drugs inspired by ferrulic acid structure but fine
tuned from maximum effect. So should you load up on
ferulic acid? Ferullic acid seems to act like a natural
two in one relaxant for heart arteries, But for now,
the best advice is the old advice eat a balanced
diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Those foods
(07:30):
naturally contain ferulic acid, along with many other helpful plant compounds.
While supplements exist, more human trials are needed before doctors
can recommend them, specifically for heart spasms. Still, this study
adds to the growing evidence that what we eat doesn't
just fuel our bodies, it may also help calm our
arteries and protect our hearts. In wate, science is only
(07:53):
beginning to uncover, and that's an idea worth brewing over
your next cup of coffee. That's it for this episode
of the paper Leap podcast. If you found it thought provoking, fascinating,
or just informative, share it with the fellow science nerd.
For more research highlights and full articles, visit paperleaf dot com.
(08:15):
Also make sure to subscribe to the podcast. We've got
plenty more discoveries to unpack. Until next time, Keep questioning,
keep learning,
Welcome to the paper Leap podcast, where a science takes
the mic. Each episode, we discuss cutting edge research, groundbreaking discoveries,
and the incredible people behind them, across disciplines and across
the world. Whether you're a curious mind, a researcher, or
just love learning, you're in the right place before we start.
(00:21):
Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an insight.
All the content is also available on paperleap dot com. Okay, ready,
let's start. Heart health often evokes thoughts of exercise, diet,
and maybe a daily aspirin, but tucked away in plants
like rice, brand, apples, wheat, and even your morning coffee
(00:44):
is a natural compound that scientists are now studying for
its ability to relax blood vessels furulic acid. A team
of researchers from Toho University in Chiba, Japan, published a
study in the Journal of Pharmacological Sciences where they explored
how farrulic acid affects the heart's arteries. Kinto Yoshioka, kiske Obara,
(01:09):
Yoshio Tanaka, and their colleagues try to answer a big question,
Can this humble plant molecule help prevent dangerous spasms in
coronary arteries the very blood vessels that supply oxygen to
the heart. Let's use an analogy to understand the problem.
Imagine you're watering a garden with a hose. If someone
(01:30):
suddenly squeezes the hose, the water flow stops. That's essentially
what happens during a coronary artery spasm. The artery tightens
so much that blood struggles to reach the heart muscle.
This can trigger chest pain, angina, irregular heartbeats, or even
a heart attack. Doctors already use drugs called calcium channel blockers,
(01:53):
like dilteism or veropimil to relax arteries and prevent these spasms.
These medicines work by block sucking calcium from entering smooth
muscle cells, which keeps the muscles from contracting too tightly.
But not everyone responds to these drugs, and they can
sometimes cause side effects. That's why scientists are always looking
for safer, gentler options. Ferulic acid or FA is a polyphenol,
(02:19):
a type of antioxidant compound plants produced for protection. It's
part of the reason whole grains and fruits are considered
so good for us. Past research has linked FA to
reduce inflammation, lowered blood pressure, and even potential benefits against
Alzheimer's disease, but its role in heart artery relaxation wasn't
(02:39):
fully understood. The Toho University team used pig coronary arteries
for their experiments. Why pigs because their heart arteries are
remarkably similar to ours in structure and function, making them
a trusted model in cardiovascular research. The researchers expose strict
(03:00):
of pig coronary arteries to substances known to trigger spasms,
things like potassium chloride, acetylcholine, serotonin, histamine, and endothyllin one.
Then they added ferrulic acid and watched what happened. They
found that ferulic acid consistently relaxed the arteries, reducing their
(03:21):
contractions in a dose dependent way against certain triggers like acetylcholine, serotonin,
and endothyllin one. FA actually worked better than dilteism, a
widely used prescription calcium channel blocker. FA wasn't just blocking
calcium from entering the cells. It also appeared to interfere
(03:42):
with another contraction pathway inside the muscle cells, one involving
a protein called myocin light chain or MLC When MLC
is phosphorylated chemically switched on, it drives contraction. FA dampens
this process, offering a two approach to preventing spasms. In short,
(04:03):
ferulic acid helps arteries relax both by blocking calcium's entry
and by dialing down the machinery that tells muscles to
contract in the first place. Delteisdem and similar drugs mainly
work through calcium channel blockade, but coordinary artery spasms can
still sneak through other cellular roots. By hitting both calcium
(04:24):
dependent and calcium independent mechanisms, erulic acid may offer broader protection.
In fact, the study found FA was especially powerful against
endothillin one, a potent natural chemical on the body known
to cause stubborn artery spasms that don't always respond well
to conventional drugs. Now, before you start brewing extra cups
(04:48):
of coffee for your heart, here's an important caveat the
effect of doses in the lab were much higher than
what you'd normally get from food. For example, after eating
a slice of bread made with whole wheat, the concentration
of ferulic acid in human blood might reach only about
zero point zero zero zero zero three moles per liter.
(05:10):
Drinking coffee boosts it a little higher, but still not
close to the concentrations between zero point zero zero zero
three and zero point zero zero three moles per liter
that showed strong artery relaxing effects in the study. However,
taking a ferulic acid supplement, typically one hundred to five
(05:30):
hundred milligrams, can push blood levels into the zero point
zero zero zero zero one mole per liter range, which
might just be enough to matter. Interestingly, this is not
so far off from the blood levels of prescription diltyism
after a normal dose. That suggests that at least in
perin supplement forms of ferulic acid could have meaningful cardiovascular effects.
(05:56):
One encouraging note unlike many pharmaceuticals ferullic acids, it hasn't
been linked to major side effects. In fact, in one
clinical trial, participants took one thousand milligrams of FA per
day for six weeks without problems and actually saw improvements
in cholesterol and inflammation. That doesn't mean it's ready to
replace prescription drugs, but it does suggest a good safety profile.
(06:22):
This research highlights a promising trend looking to natural compounds
in our diets as sources of future medicines. Aspirin came
from willibark statins. The cholesterol lowering drugs were discovered from fungi.
Now scientists are exploring whether everyday plant molecules like firulin
acid could play a role in preventing some of our
(06:44):
most feared diseases. The Toho University team study opens the
door to new possibilities and questions. Could ferulic acid be
developed into a safe plant based therapy for patients who
don't respond well to current drugs, Could combining ferulic acid
with existing medications improve outcomes, or could we one day
(07:07):
design new drugs inspired by ferrulic acid structure but fine
tuned from maximum effect. So should you load up on
ferulic acid? Ferullic acid seems to act like a natural
two in one relaxant for heart arteries, But for now,
the best advice is the old advice eat a balanced
diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Those foods
(07:30):
naturally contain ferulic acid, along with many other helpful plant compounds.
While supplements exist, more human trials are needed before doctors
can recommend them, specifically for heart spasms. Still, this study
adds to the growing evidence that what we eat doesn't
just fuel our bodies, it may also help calm our
arteries and protect our hearts. In wate, science is only
(07:53):
beginning to uncover, and that's an idea worth brewing over
your next cup of coffee. That's it for this episode
of the paper Leap podcast. If you found it thought provoking, fascinating,
or just informative, share it with the fellow science nerd.
For more research highlights and full articles, visit paperleaf dot com.
(08:15):
Also make sure to subscribe to the podcast. We've got
plenty more discoveries to unpack. Until next time, Keep questioning,
keep learning,
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