Gut bacteria and cholesterol
The intestinal microflora affects the level of cholesterol in the blood
Anna Govorova, Infox.ru
Microbiologists from the University of Groningen (Netherlands) have found out that the composition of the intestinal microbiota affects the content of "good" cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. It is important that the work of the cardiovascular system depends on these indicators, Infox reports.
"Our study shows that the composition of the gut microbiota can be considered as another risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases, along with factors such as age, gender, genetics, lifestyle," says (in a press release Gut bacteria have influence on blood lipids levels - VM) the lead author of the study, associate professor Jingyuan Fu (Jingyuan Fu).Who lives in the intestine?There are many microorganisms living in the human body – mainly bacteria, but viruses, fungi and archaea are found.
They live in the gastrointestinal tract, oral cavity, nasopharynx, on the mucous membranes of the body, on the skin. This is a whole special world called the microbiota.
Surprisingly, the number of cells in the human microbiota is two orders of magnitude greater than the number of cells in the whole organism. Some researchers even isolate the microbiota into a separate organ.
The work of our body largely depends on the composition of the microbiota. For example, it is already known that the gut microbiota affects the state of immunity, and as modern research shows, even mood. And scientists do not stop finding new amazing connections of microbiota with various processes in the body.
The current study of microbiologists involved 893 residents of the Netherlands. The level of triglycerides, "bad" and "good" cholesterol in their blood was determined.
Recall that "bad" cholesterol is low-molecular-weight lipoproteins (low-density lipoproteins) that are poorly soluble. Therefore, cholesterol from them often precipitates and is deposited in the vessels in the form of atherosclerotic plaques, which causes atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
But the "good" cholesterol dissolves perfectly, so it does not precipitate. It is believed that this is a necessary substance for our body. "Good" cholesterol is a part of cell membranes, participates in the synthesis of sex hormones, vitamin D and other biological compounds.
Gut bacteria and cholesterol
According to the study, 34 types of bacteria living in the gastrointestinal tract are associated with the level of triglycerides and "good" cholesterol in the blood.
But the composition of the intestinal microbiota did not affect the level of dangerous "bad" cholesterol in any way.
Of course, the authors add, they are only taking the first steps in understanding the interaction of the microbiota and the content of fats and cholesterol in the blood. But they hope that in the future, a complete picture of this interaction will allow the creation of new methods of treating obesity, as well as allow the development of new methods to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
The results of this study are published in the latest issue of the journal Circulation Research (Fu et al., The Gut Microbiome Contributes to a Substantial Proportion of the Variation in Blood Lipids – VM).
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14.09.2015