- Over the past few years, researchers have discovered more details on how the body’s gut microbiome affects its overall health.
- An unhealthy gut microbiome, for example, has been linked to a variety of diseases.
- Researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have now identified specific bacteria in the gut microbiome capable of breaking down inflammation-causing uric acid— at least in mice.
- Scientists believe this uric acid-eating bacteria could help protect the body from heart disease and gout.
Over the last few years, researchers have been uncovering more and more ways in which the body’s gut microbiome affects its overall health.
Previous research links an unhealthy gut microbiome to a variety of diseases, including
Now, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have identified bacteria in the gut microbiome via a mouse model capable of breaking down inflammation-causing uric acid, helping to potentially protect the body from both heart disease and gout.
This study was recently published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.
For this study, Dr. Federico Rey, associate professor of bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and senior author of this study, and his team performed
Upon analysis, scientists found the mice who received microbes from donors with plaque-filled arteries and high levels of uric acid developed these same conditions. Similarly, mice who received microbes from donors with clearer blood vessels and less uric acid established the same features.
From there, the researchers were able to identify the specific microbes associated with health outcomes in the mice. Scientists were able to…
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