Gut microbiota are known to produce an intermediate metabolite in the production of trimethylamine N-oxide that promotes atherosclerosis. Now, another metabolite produced by the same bacteria has been identified that prevents atherosclerosis. The basis for these opposing microbial effects are dictated by diet.
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Change history
03 January 2019
In the version of this News & Views originally published, owing to production error, the concentration scales given for butyrate circulates in the bloodstream and colon were incorrect. It was stated that “butyrate circulates at mM levels (as opposed to µM in colon)”; this should have read “butyrate circulates at µM levels (as opposed to mM in colon)”. This error has now been corrected.
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Bultman, S.J. Bacterial butyrate prevents atherosclerosis. Nat Microbiol 3, 1332–1333 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-018-0299-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-018-0299-z
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