The ability of our gut flora to metabolize phospholipid phosphatidylcholine from food affects the susceptibility of various people to developing cardiovascular disease, US scientists report in the journal Nature.
Stanley Hazen of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and his team have shown that serum levels of three phosphatidylcholine metabolites – choline, betaine and trimethylamine (TMAO) in the blood affect the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Scientists observed that supplementing the diets of mice susceptible to developing atherosclerosis with choline increases the risk of developing the disease, but the effect is blocked if the mice’s gut flora is destroyed by antibiotics.
Eating a high-fat diet increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, but the effect of phospholipids on this risk is less well understood. According to the authors of the study, preventive methods influencing the activity of intestinal bacteria may help in the prevention of atherosclerosis and heart disease (PAP).