A recently released study has discovered that the role of diet and its effect on our gut bacteria may directly impact our cardiovascular wellbeing. Published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the research revealed that a plant-based diet can significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), as it encourages good bacteria and positively influences the gut’s microbiome pattern.
Following the close of the study, researchers reported that reducing animal products in our diet and adopting a more plant-based approach can notably minimise the risk of issues such as coronary heart disease, by modulating the adverse effects of one particular gut microbiome metabolite.
A reduction in TMAO
The metabolite that scientists focused on is known as trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and occurs when the gut bacteria digests nutrients that are most commonly found in animal products – in particular, red meat.
Long connected to an increased risk of heart attack and coronary heart disease, it is no secret that vegan and vegetarian diets have been shown to reduce the level of TMAO in the body, nor that this can have a positive impact on our long-term cardiovascular health.
What this particular study has done is to confirm a hypothesis that already existed. Collaborating with 760 women involved in the Nurses’ Health Study, the project’s prospective cohort numbered roughly 121,701 females between the ages of 30 to 55. These women reported back on everything from their dietary patterns to their smoking habits and physical activity, while also providing two blood samples taken one year apart.
The results
This research revealed that women who developed coronary heart disease during this period had a number of factors in common, including higher levels of TMAO in their blood, poorer diets, higher BMIs, and a family history of heart attacks.
Interestingly, they discovered that those who showed the most significant increases in TMAO during this one-year period were at a 67 per cent higher risk of developing coronary artery disease.
The study’s author and director of the Obesity Research Centre at Tulane University, Lu Qi, explained that: “Diet is one of the most important modifiable risk factors to control TMAO levels in the body, [but] no previous prospective cohort study has addressed whether long-term changes in TMAO are associated with CHD, [or] whether dietary intakes can modify these associations.”
Interestingly - and tellingly – the researchers found no differences in the TMAO levels between the CHD and control participants when their initial blood samples were taken, despite very different results the second time around.
On this second collection, they discovered significantly higher levels of TMAO in participants suffering from CHD. For every increase in TMAO, they noted, there was also a 23 percent growth in the individual’s risk of developing coronary heart disease. This same pattern was found even when factors such as demographic, diet, and lifestyle were controlled, providing an irrefutable link between raised TMAO levels and CHD risk.
The heart-gut axis explained
What these findings suggest, above all, is that TMAO can act as a predictive biomarker for heart disease, making it an ideal intervention target in the prevention of it. According to Paul Heidenreich, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, this should encourage us to continue advocating for healthier eating patterns.
In addition, as Qi Li adds, the findings indicate that actively aiming to decrease TMAO levels may offer a way forward for those working to reduce the risk of CHD, with gut microbiomes providing a promising new area of exploration for individuals involved in the field of heart disease prevention.
