Study Reveals Gut Microbiota’s Role in Reducing Cholesterol and Heart Disease Risk

Alterations within gut microbiota have been linked to numerous illnesses like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and inflammatory bowel disease. Researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, collaborating with Massachusetts General Hospital, have recently discovered that gut microbes could also influence cardiovascular disease. 

According to a new study in Cell, specific bacterial species within the gut that digest cholesterol reduce cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease within individuals. The researchers have examined metabolites and microbial genomes from 1400 participants in the long run. Researchers found that a particular bacteria known as Oscilibactor absorbs and processes cholesterol from its environment, proving that individuals with high quantities of this microbe within their intestine showed reduced cholesterol levels. The research team also uncovered the process these bacteria likely employ to degrade cholesterol. The findings of this study say that future interventions targeting the microbiota in specific manners might aid in lowering cholesterol levels in humans. 

In the last decade, researchers have found an association between the makeup of the gut microbiota and aspects of cardiovascular disease, like levels of triglycerides and blood sugar after eating. The development of treatments targeting such links has been challenging due to an incomplete understanding of the metabolic processes in the gut. Researchers have used a powerful method called shotgun metagenomic sequencing to examine all the microorganisms’ DNA within a sample closely. 

They also applied metabolomics to measure the amounts of hundreds of known and even thousands of yet-to-be-identified substances produced by these organisms.The method revealed more than 16000 links between microbes and metabolic characters. One interesting finding is that individuals hosting several species of bacteria from the Oscilibacter genus exhibit lower cholesterol levels than those without these bacteria. Oscillibacter species were prevalent in the gut, averaging about one in every 100 bacteria. 

To understand how these microbes metabolize cholesterol, researchers aimed to identify the biochemical pathway involved, which means cultivating organisms in a laboratory setting. The laboratory had devoted years to collecting bacteria from stool samples, building a unique collection that includes Oscillibacter species. 

They discovered that the bacteria transform cholesterol into substances that other bacteria can further break down and the body can then eliminate. The research team applied machine learning and identified specific enzymes responsible for changing cholesterol into these substances. Researchers also identified another type of gut bacteria, Eubacterium coprostanoligenes, which plays a role in lowering cholesterol.This bacterium contains a gene known to be involved in processing cholesterol. In their latest findings, the team observed that Eubacterium may work with Oscillibacter to reduce cholesterol levels further. 

Future research on how different types of bacteria interact can provide deeper insights into complex ways the gut microbiota influences human health. Researchers aim to understand how the human gut functions by starting with one tiny organism at a time.They believe this careful approach will help them figure out the system’s workings and create targeted treatments that could directly target harmful microbes.