【論文摘要】Vegetarian Diet Reduces TMAO Producing Capacity of Gut Microbiota and Thrombosis Potential in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

Wei-Kai Wu ； Hsien-Li Kao ； Ming-Shiang Wu

《海峽循環醫學雜誌》 1卷2S期 (2019/09) Pp. 163-163

https://doi.org/10.6907/SCJ.201909/SP_1(2).0134

摘要

Background/Synopsis: The cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most important worldwide threats to human health and economics. Recently, the link between gut microbiota and cardiovascular disease is gaining scientist's attention. A notable gut-microbiota-generated metabolite called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) was found as an important causal risk for cardiovascular disease. The TMAO in human body is mainly generated from gut microbiota metabolism of ingested carnitine and choline rich in animal source foods, such as red meat and eggs. Objectives/Purpose: Whether diet modification could shape gut microbiota and reduce TMAO level in preventing cardiovascular disease remains unknown. Here we applied a low carnitine/low choline vegetarian diet intervention in patients with CVD to investigate a potential gut microbiota-directed personalized diet recommendation. Methods/Results: We have developed a gut microbiota-directed functional test, the oral carnitine challenge test (OCCT), in measuring TMAO production capacity from diet-gut microbiota-host interactions (Wu et al. Gut 2018). We performed this functional test in CVD patients and found 66% (33/50) were TMAO high producers. A supervised low carnitine/low choline vegetarian diet intervention was conducted in these high TMAO producing CVD patients for two months. The blood and urine TMAO level decreased significantly during the dietary intervention as well as the gut microbiota TMAO production capacity. Moreover, the platelet aggregation assay also showed decreased aggregation amplitude along with the decrease of TMAO. Besides, we found the gut microbiota profiles can be shaped by vegetarian diet intervention. Conclusion: The vegetarian diet may convey health benefits to CVD patients by reducing TMAO loads in human body through the alteration of the diet-gut microbiota-host axis.