Gut Bacteria: Possible Influence on Heart Diseases
Quelle: VIDEOELEPHANT (Glomex)
Trillions of gut bacteria could play a larger role in heart diseases than previously thought. South Korean researchers compared the gut microbes of 14 individuals with coronary heart disease and 28 healthy adults. They found that the patients had fewer beneficial bacteria, including Slackia isoflavoniconvertens and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, which produce anti-inflammatory compounds. At the same time, the patients had more Lachnospiraceae bacteria, which have previously been linked to heart diseases. The study also showed that the patients' gut bacteria break down more amino acids such as arginine, which support vascular health, and ferment simpler sugars like lactose more strongly. Using machine learning, the researchers were able to distinguish patients from healthy individuals with high accuracy, suggesting that gut bacteria patterns could potentially be used to identify coronary heart disease. The team also discovered that even different strains of the same bacterial species can have different effects. So, it may be crucial which variant of a bacterium is present, not just its mere existence. Although the study is based on only 42 participants, it provides further evidence that restoring healthy gut bacteria could one day help prevent or treat heart diseases.