Evidence is mounting that the gut microbiome influences many major human diseases, according to a Sept. 23 Medscape Medical News article.
Here are five insights from the article about the developing science behind treating microbial metabolites:
1. Stanley Hazen, MD, and co-section head of preventive cardiology and rehabilitation and director of the Center for Microbiome and Human Health at Cleveland Clinic said he is "convinced in the future our medicine cabinets are going to have not just medications like a statin for treating us, but [also] pills that treat and inhibit an enzyme in our microbes and elicit a health benefit in some chronic disease."
2. One treatment close to human therapeutic intervention is an oral treatment from Dr. Hazen's lab that targets the metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide, which predicts and contributes to cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. The drug, which blocks the formation of TMAO, is nearing clinical trials.
3. Short-chain fatty acids, phenylacetylglutamine, tryptophan metabolites and bile acid byproducts are other factors that can influence gut microbiome and have been the subject of ongoing research.
4. AI could be a predictor of gut microbial composition based on data such as dietary habits and household characteristics.
5. Research is also underway to understand how metabolites might be linked to pregnancy outcomes, complex regional pain syndrome and anxiety. Researchers are specifically investigating dietary supplements such as prebiotic fibers, apple polyphenols and tomato paste for their influence on metabolites.