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Dear Colleagues and Friends,
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Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality
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Different studies support gut microbiota as an environmental factor related to the progress of obesity and metabolic disturbances, even though the causal nature of this has not been completely understood. Diet is an important factor in modulating not only weight but also gut microbiota composition and function. Several studies have shown a change in the gut microbiota associated with specific dietary factors or patterns.
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A substudy of the PREDIMED-Plus (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea-Plus) investigated the effect of an intensive lifestyle weight loss intervention on gut microbiota. The intervention group underwent an intensive weight loss lifestyle intervention based on an energy restricted Mediterranean diet and physical activity promotion, whereas the control group underwent a non-energy restricted Mediterranean diet for 1 year. The results of this study concluded that weight loss, induced by an energy-restricted MedDiet and physical activity, result in changes of the gut microbiota. More specifically, a decrease in Butyricicoccus, Haemophilus, Ruminiclostridium 5, and Eubacterium hallii in the intervention group compared with the control group.
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On the other hand, dietary habits are considered one of the strongest modulators of gut microbiota, which seem to play a significant role in the health status of the host. Thus, a study was carried out in 360 Spanish adults from the Obekit cohort (normal weight, overweight, and obese participants) where adherence to the Mediterranean diet was related to specific metagenomic traits. This report identified certain bacterial taxa that are more abundant in individuals with a high adherence to the Mediterranean diet. These results were related to participants with a higher consumption of fiber, legumes, vegetables, fruit, and nuts, suggesting that an increase in specific bacterial strains could be directly associated with good health.
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