GI-Metabolic Link

A risk factor for diabetes and heart disease, Metabolic Syndrome is a condition involving a large waistline, high triglycerides level, low HDL cholesterol level, high blood pressure, and high fasting blood sugar.  Gut microbiota – the bacteria that live in the intestine – performs key functions in health: when it becomes dysregulated it can promote chronic inflammatory diseases; as well, an altered gut microbiota promotes inflammation that leads to Metabolic Syndrome.  Employing a mouse model, Andrew Gewirtz, from Georgia State University (Georgia, USA), and colleagues  observed that promoting healthy gut microbiota can prevent Metabolic Syndrome.  The study authors observe that: “Expression of [Toll-like receptor 5] on [intestinal epithelial cells] regulates the composition and localization of the intestinal microbiota, preventing diseases associated with intestinal inflammation.”