BECN1 and myocardial ischemia: Whether increased autophagy is an adaptive or maladaptive response to chronic myocardial ischemia remains a debate.56,57 In this regard, cardiomyocyte death in hearts from patients with end-stage heart failure is mediated most prominently through autophagy.58 Consistent with this, autophagy inhibition through heterozygous disruption of Beclin 1 decreases cardiomyocyte autophagy and pathological cardiac remodeling after severe pressure overload in mice.