Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality among the global population, with an estimate of 19.9 million deaths each year. Among the established predictors of CVD death, hypertension plays an important role. Hypertensive patients are often at the risk of ventricular dilation, infarct thinning, and extensive formation of collagen tissues in the damaged zone of the heart muscle. Consequently, the shape of the ventricular chamber gets distorted and eccentric hypertrophy is developed, leading to heart failure and cardiac rupture. These alterations in cardiac morphology are termed cardiac remodeling.
Drugs and adjuvant pharmacological therapies can suppress early cardiac remodeling. However, these drugs are not free from adverse effects and can lose their efficacy in due course of time. Hence immense interest has developed among the researchers to look for therapy, free of adverse effects, which can minimize the remodeling of cardiac tissue.
Drinking water plays a crucial role in an individual’s health. Studies report that water in an alkaline medium is good for drinking. However, we observed that it’s not only the alkaline nature of water, but the presence of zinc in alkaline medium renders it a therapeutic effect.
Cardiovascular disorders and mortality are often associated with deficient zinc levels in the serum. Zinc is an essential micronutrient that acts as a vital cofactor for energy transfer and physiological heart function, possesses antioxidant potential and is involved in multiple signaling pathways.
We postulated that the presence of zinc in alkaline water reduced free radical generation and inflammation, and thus attenuated cardiac remodeling.
Dr. Salma Naqvi
Assistant Professor, Pharmacology
Department of Biomedical Sciences