Written by Sharon Begley who wrote as the science editor for Newsweek and a couple of books.
Train Your Mind, Change
Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to
Transform Ourselves
The mind and the Brain : neuroplasticity and the power of mental
force
http://wkzo.com/news/articles/2013/apr/24/gut-bugs-are-implicated-in-heart-attacks-and-stroke/
Thousands of heart attack victims every year have none of the
notorious risk factors before their crisis - not high cholesterol, not
unhealthy triglycerides. Now the search for the mystery culprits has
turned up some surprising suspects: the trillions of bacteria and other
microbes living in the human gut.
In a study released on Wednesday, scientists discovered that some of
the bugs turn lecithin - a nutrient in egg yolks, liver, beef, pork and
wheat germ - into an artery-clogging compound called TMAO(trimethylamine-N-oxide). They also
found that blood levels of TMAO predict heart attack, stroke or death,
and do so "independent of other risk factors," said Dr Stanley Hazen,
chairman of cellular and molecular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic's
Lerner Research Institute, who led the study.
That suggests a TMAO test could enter the arsenal of blood tests that
signal possible cardiovascular problems ahead. "TMAO might identify
people who are at risk (for heart attacks and strokes) despite having no
other risk factors," Hazen said.
The discovery also suggests a new approach to preventing these
cardiovascular events: altering gut bacteria so they churn out less
TMAO.
Full article at the link.
Yikes!
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