Due to a modern lifestyle, individuals are constantlyexposed to various environmental stresses leadingto excess calorie intake. These marked changes inlifestyle and stressed environmental conditions have calledfor development of new molecular mechanisms to copewith the fight against hunger. Chronic satiety has resultedin an increase in cases of metabolic syndrome worldwide,leading to an increase in cardiovascular diseases. One reasonfor this could be diet; for example, the traditionalJapanese diet is high in salt and carbohydrates. One studyreported that calorie restriction by approximately 30resulted in a significant increase in the lifespan of the monkeys.1That study highlights the beneficial effects of calorierestriction. One mechanism underlying this effect involvesthe group of proteins called sirtuins. Sirtuins are involved inmany processes, including aging, metabolism, stress resistance,apoptosis, and inflammation.2 To date, 7 sirtuin familyproteins (Sirt1–7) have been identified. Of these, Sirt1has been extensively studied in the cardiovascular systemand has been shown to have a protective effect againstvascular dysfunction in diabetes.3 Recently, new therapeuticapproaches involving sodium-glucose cotransporter 2(SGLT2) inhibitors have attracted attention for their beneficialeffects in patients with cardiovascular diseases.
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