Heart disease is the leading cause of death, and this week on Health Watch, we’ll talk about research being done to help prevent heart disease or prevent deaths from this disease.

A lot of heart research takes place at the cellular level, where scientists try to learn about body processes that may damage the circulatory system. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center recently found that a process that usually helps the body survive stress may damage hearts already weakened by disease. Cells may sometimes eat their own proteins in order to give the body needed resources, but Dr. Joseph Hill, UT Southwestern’s chief of cardiology, says this process can lead to harmful changes in the heart muscle. To make matters worse, the process is often triggered by stresses such as high blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors. The researchers plan further study in this area.