Bile could prevent heart disease
The bile pigment bilirubin is linked to an increase in antioxidants in the blood, which can protect against cardiovascular damage. The discovery could lead to new drug, dietary or lifestyle methods of preventing heart disease. Image: rustycloud/iStockphoto There's new hope for the fight against cancer and cardiovascular disease, following breakthrough research identifying a pigment in our bile.A fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, bile's function was simply thought to aid in the digestion process.However, in conjunction with the University of Vienna and the Heart Research Institute in Sydney, Dr Andrew Bulmer from the Griffith Health Institute has found that a pigment in bile called bilirubin could help to stave off cancer and cardiovascular disease.Published in the leading journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, the scientific report details how Dr Bulmer and his team conducted a study with 44 participants, half of whom had Gilbert Syndrome.People with this syndrome...