Plasma levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide can be increased with ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ diets and do not correlate with the extent of atherosclerosis but with plaque instability

Apr 9, 2020Cardiovascular research

Blood levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide rise with both healthy and unhealthy diets and are linked to unstable artery plaques but not to plaque size

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Abstract

Plasma TMAO levels increased in mice on both 'unhealthy' high-choline diets and 'healthy' high-fibre diets.

  • The gut contributes significantly to the production of TMAO through direct oxidation.
  • No correlation was found between plasma TMAO and the extent of atherosclerosis in widely used mouse models or in human data from the Framingham Heart Study.
  • In a mouse model of plaque instability, TMAO levels were associated with markers of inflammation, platelet activation, and intraplaque hemorrhage.
  • These findings support the idea that TMAO may serve as a marker of cardiovascular risk rather than a direct contributor to atherosclerosis.

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Full Text

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