トリメチルアミンｎオキシド

心臓病の原因といわれている物質です。　カルニチンが腸内細菌によって代謝されて生成されます。

レシチンやカルニチンが腸内細菌によって代謝されてトリメチルアミンになり、アテローム性動脈硬化症の原因とされています。

ではこれを減少させるものはあるかと調べてみましたら、なんと苦丁茶にその作用があることがわかりました。　

Ligustrum robustum Alleviates Atherosclerosis by Decreasing Serum TMAO, Modulating Gut Microbiota, and Decreasing Bile Acid and Cholesterol Absorption in Mice.

Molecular nutrition & food research. 2021 Jul;65(14);e2100014. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.202100014.

SCOPE : Atherosclerosis (AS) is closely related to gut microbiota. Previous studies demonstrates that Ligustrum robustum (LR), a flavonoid-rich tea like plant, can mitigate several AS-related risk factors and modulate gut microbiota in animal models and human subjects. But its anti-AS effect and mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, impacts of LR on AS development are investigated and the potential underlying mechanisms in C57BL/6J and Apoe-/- mice are explored.

METHODS AND RESULTS : Female C57BL/6J and Apoe-/- mice are fed a chow diet or high-choline diet, supplemented with vehicle (water) or LR water extract (700 mg kg-1 ) by gavage for 17 weeks. It is found that LR attenuates diet-induced AS by reducing serum trimethylamine and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) levels likely by modulating gut microbiota. Moreover, LR increases the abundance of the genus Bifidobacterium, which generates bile salt hydrolase, and thus presumably enhances bile acid (BA) deconjugation and increases fecal BA excretion. Meanwhile, LR increases fecal cholesterol excretion, decreases the levels of serum and hepatic cholesterol, but did not affect short-chain fatty acids in feces.

CONCLUSION : LR attenuates AS development presumably by decreasing serum TMAO levels and increasing fecal BA excretion likely via gut microbial modulation. These effects are accompanied by increases in fecal cholesterol excretion and decreases in serum and hepatic cholesterol.

作用機序は腸内細菌合を調節して間接的に効果を発現するようです。

苦丁茶（Ligustrum robustum）すごいですね。

肉食、特に赤身を食べた後に苦丁茶を飲む習慣にすれば心疾患は減る可能性はあるけど、とにかく苦いのでウーロン茶みたいには広がらないだろうな。