The role of Western diet and gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases

TL;DR

This paper reviews how a Western diet disrupts gut bacteria, leading to heart disease, and suggests dietary and microbial interventions to prevent it.

Contribution

The paper systematically summarizes how gut microbiota dysbiosis from a Western diet contributes to CVD and intervention strategies.

Findings

Western diet disrupts gut flora, leading to harmful metabolites like TMAO and reduced SCFAs.

Dysbiosis triggers inflammation and oxidative stress, accelerating CVD progression.

Probiotics, prebiotics, and dietary changes can restore gut health and reduce CVD risk.

Abstract

The Western diet (WD) is characterized by high fat, high sugar, high salt and low fiber. WD can disrupt the homeostasis of the intestinal flora and become an important factor in the occurrence and development of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD). This review elucidates the core mechanism through which WD-induced intestinal flora dysbiosis contributes to the development of CVD. Specifically, the disruption of intestinal barrier function promotes the generation of pathogenic metabolites, such as trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), while simultaneously suppressing the production of beneficial metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). This metabolic shift subsequently triggers systemic inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and metabolic disturbances, thereby accelerating the progression of CVD-related conditions, such as atherosclerosis and hypertension. Meanwhile, this review systematically summarizes key intervention strategies targeting the gut microbiota. Accumulating evidence indicates that interventions such as probiotics, prebiotics, the Mediterranean diet, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) can effectively restore intestinal microbial homeostasis, enhance the production of SCFAs, and mitigate the risk of CVD. Notably, long-term dietary patterns have demonstrated significant efficacy in reshaping the gut ecosystem, underscoring the importance of sustainable lifestyle modifications. Therefore, this study aims to integrate current knowledge regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms and provide a theoretical basis for developing precise interventions to prevent and treat CVD through modulation of the gut microbiota.

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