@article{b7fa8fa6cdfa498aa70d4d29d3893335,
title = "Intestinal microbiota metabolism of l-carnitine, a nutrient in red meat, promotes atherosclerosis",
abstract = "Intestinal microbiota metabolism of choline and phosphatidylcholine produces trimethylamine (TMA), which is further metabolized to a proatherogenic species, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). We demonstrate here that metabolism by intestinal microbiota of dietary l-carnitine, a trimethylamine abundant in red meat, also produces TMAO and accelerates atherosclerosis in mice. Omnivorous human subjects produced more TMAO than did vegans or vegetarians following ingestion of l-carnitine through a microbiota-dependent mechanism. The presence of specific bacterial taxa in human feces was associated with both plasma TMAO concentration and dietary status. Plasma l-carnitine levels in subjects undergoing cardiac evaluation (n = 2,595) predicted increased risks for both prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and incident major adverse cardiac events (myocardial infarction, stroke or death), but only among subjects with concurrently high TMAO levels. Chronic dietary l-carnitine supplementation in mice altered cecal microbial composition, markedly enhanced synthesis of TMA and TMAO, and increased atherosclerosis, but this did not occur if intestinal microbiota was concurrently suppressed. In mice with an intact intestinal microbiota, dietary supplementation with TMAO or either carnitine or choline reduced in vivo reverse cholesterol transport. Intestinal microbiota may thus contribute to the well-established link between high levels of red meat consumption and CVD risk.",
author = "Koeth, {Robert A.} and Zeneng Wang and Levison, {Bruce S.} and Buffa, {Jennifer A.} and Elin Org and Sheehy, {Brendan T.} and Britt, {Earl B.} and Xiaoming Fu and Yuping Wu and Lin Li and Smith, {Jonathan D.} and Didonato, {Joseph A.} and Jun Chen and Hongzhe Li and Wu, {Gary D.} and Lewis, {James D.} and Manya Warrier and Brown, {J. Mark} and Krauss, {Ronald M.} and Tang, {W. H.Wilson} and Bushman, {Frederic D.} and Lusis, {Aldons J.} and Hazen, {Stanley L.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank L. Kerchenski and C. Stevenson for assistance in performing the clinical studies; A. Pratt, S. Neale, M. Pepoy and B. Sullivan for technical assistance with human specimen processing and routine clinical diagnostic testing; E. Klipfell, F. McNally and M. Berk for technical assistance; and the subjects who consented to participate in these studies. Mass spectrometry instrumentation used was housed within the Cleveland Clinic Mass Spectrometry Facility with partial support through a Center of Innovation by AB SCIEX. Germ-free mice were obtained from the University of North Carolina Gnotobiotic Facility, which is supported by P30-DK034987-25-28 and P40-RR018603-06-08. This research was supported by US National Institutes of Health grants R01 HL103866 (S.L.H.), P20 HL113452 (S.L.H. and W.H.W.T.), PO1 HL30568 (A.J.L.), PO1 H28481 (A.J.L.), R00 HL096166 (J.M.B.), UH3-DK083981 (J.D.L.), 1RC1DK086472 (R.M.K.) and the Leducq Foundation (S.L.H.). The clinical study GeneBank was supported in part by P01 HL076491, P01 HL098055, R01 HL103931 and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation General Clinical Research Center of the Cleveland Clinic/Case Western Reserve University Clinical and Translational Science Award (1UL1RR024989). S.L.H. is also partially supported by a gift from the Leonard Krieger Fund. Z.W. was partially supported by a Scientist Development Grant from the American Heart Association. E.O. was supported by a MOBILITAS Postdoctoral Research Grant (MJD252). R.A.K. was supported in part by US National Institutes of Health grant T32 GM007250.",
year = "2013",
month = may,
doi = "10.1038/nm.3145",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "19",
pages = "576--585",
journal = "Nature Medicine",
issn = "1078-8956",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "5",
}