Did you know that tiny creatures living in our stomachs may actually protect us from heart disease?
Yes, it’s true! Some little bugs called microbes, which live in our guts, might help prevent plaque (a harmful substance) from building up in our arteries.
New Research Findings
Scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and their partners from around the world made an exciting discovery.
They found certain types of bacteria in our gut that can break down something called uric acid. This process happens best in the low-oxygen environment of our intestines.
Uric Acid and Its Impact
You might wonder what uric acid is. It’s a substance that our body makes when it breaks down purines, which are essential parts of our DNA. We also get purines from things we enjoy, like caffeine and chocolate.
Usually, our kidneys filter out most of the uric acid. But about 30% of it goes into our gut. If we have too much uric acid, it can cause a painful condition called gout.
Even before we reach gout stage, a little extra uric acid can cause inflammation in our bodies, which can lead to plaque in our arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis.
Study on Uric Acid
The scientists studied nearly 1,000 people. They noticed that the amount of uric acid in their bodies was linked with the number of harmful substances, like fats and cholesterol, in their arteries.
Also, the uric acid levels matched with different types of bacteria present in the person’s gut.
Transferring Gut Bugs
The scientists then transferred gut microbes from mature mice to mice that didn’t have any gut microbes. They noticed that the health of the arteries also transferred with the gut microbes.
Mice that received microbes from mice with lots of artery plaque and high uric acid levels developed the same problems.
Mice that got microbes from donors with less uric acid and cleaner blood vessels also had lower levels of these problems.
Identifying Healthy Bacteria
The scientists then tried to identify the bacteria linked with health outcomes.
They saw that when bacteria were grown on uric acid, certain genes were very active. These genes were necessary to break down purines and uric acid in the gut.
Future Research
Scientists want to study more of these bacteria that eat purines. They hope to see if adding these bacteria to animals with artery plaque issues can improve their heart health.
Scientists know now that they have a genetic marker for uric acid breakdown in the gut, but they say it’s too early to know for sure if introducing these bacteria to people could help with heart disease or even gout.
Yet, this research has given us a new understanding of how gut bacteria can influence our health. This could guide us to new treatments in the future.
If you care about health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and vitamin D supplements strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about plant nutrients that could help reduce high blood pressure, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
The study was published in Cell Host & Microbe.
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