Cholesterol-gobbling gut bacteria could protect against heart disease

Bacteria present in some people's guts may help break down cholesterol, making them less susceptible to heart disease, a new study suggests.

The link between a high diversity of gut microbes and a lower chance of cardiovascular disease is well established. Previous research has shown that people with heart-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis, carry different kinds of microbes in their guts than people without the conditions. Researchers thought this may be related to a microbe-made enzyme called IsmA that breaks down cholesterol.

People whose gut bacteria made IsmA had less cholesterol in their blood than those whose gut bacteria didn't make this enzyme. However, the specific species of bacteria that make cholesterol-gobbling enzymes were not known.

Now, a study published April 2 in the journal Cell has shown that bacteria in the genus Oscillibacter break down cholesterol and that people who carry more of those bacteria have lower cholesterol levels than people with fewer of those microbes.

Related: 9 heart disease risk factors, according to experts

Uncovering the bacteria that metabolize cholesterol is "very interesting and exciting," Daoming Wang, a researcher at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, told Live Science in an email. Wang, a bioinformatician who studies the human gut microbiome, wasn't involved in the new study.

To understand how gut bacteria iNFLuence heart Health, the researchers examined stool and blood samples collected from more than 1,400 people in the Framingham Heart Study, a decades-long study of heart disease risk factors.