Contrary to popular belief, heart cells do regenerate after a heart attack. That's the finding of an NIH study conducted at New York Medical College and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

It has long been assumed that once the heart is damaged, that damage is permanent. But researchers using a very high-resolution microscope were able to detect evidence that cells were dividing in heart tissue following a heart attack. One measure of cellular activity was 70 times higher in the area of the heart bordering the damaged tissue than in hearts from people who had not had a heart attack.

These findings will help to clarify previously undetected repair mechanisms, enabling scientists to learn how hearts respond to injury and to the normal insults of aging. It also opens up the possibility of repairing heart muscle damage after a heart attack.

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Source:  National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Scientists find that heart muscle cells regenerate after a heart attack. NIH News Release, June 6, 2001.