Heart disease drug 'combats racism' A common heart disease drug may have the unusual side-effect of combating racism, a new study suggests. 4:22PM GMT 07 Mar 2012 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9128888/Heart-disease-drug-combats-racism.html Volunteers given the beta-blocker, used to treat chest pains and lower heart rates, scored lower on a standard psychological test of "implicit" racist attitudes. They appeared to be less racially prejudiced at a subconscious level than another group treated with a "dummy" placebo pill. Scientists believe the discovery can be explained by the fact that racism is fundamentally founded on fear. Propranolol acts both on nerve circuits that govern automatic functions such as heart rate, and the part of the brain involved in fear and emotional responses. The drug is also used to treat anxiety and panic. Co-author Professor Julian Savulescu, from Oxford University's Faculty of Philosophy, said: "Such research raises the tantalising possibility that our unconscious racial attitudes could be modulated using drugs, a possibility that requires careful ethical analysis. <IMG SRC="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02161/Propranolol-_2161445b.jpg"> Are they going to put it in the water supply?:eek: