Netherlands – A recent research released in the US medical publication Circulation Research identified a bacteria located in the gut that may be used in therapies to treat heart diseases.
The group of bacteria were found at the microbiome, which has been proved by previous researchers to have an important role in everything from digestion to the immune system. Thirty-four types of bacteria were identified in playing a role in the differences in body fat and blood lipid levels by examinations in 893 people, according to CBS News.
Fortunately, there are 10 times more microbial cells than human cells in the body, however, they only account for between 1 and 3 percent of body weight, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“As less than 30 percent of bacteria in the human gut have been cultured, we know very little about who they are and what they do […] With state-of-art deep sequencing technology, we are now able to identify them.” said Dr. Jingyuan Fu, an associate professor of genetics at University Medical Center Groningen.
The information contained in the research is important as it explains how the composition of a person’s gut bacteria community may explain almost in a 4% the variations seen in an individual’s cholesterol levels according to Live Science. It may also explain close to 5% of the differences between people’s bodies and weight, even when other factors like genetics, gender and age may also be involved.
Researchers said their hope is for the identification of the bacteria to aid in the development of treatments to prevent heart disease.
“Our study provides new evidence that microbes in the gut are strongly linked to the blood level of HDL and triglycerides and may be added as a new risk factor for abnormal blood lipids, in addition to age, gender, BMI and genetics,” Fu said.
Source: Circulation Research