High-fat diet impact on intestinal cholesterol conversion by the microbiota and serum cholesterol levels
Alena M. Bubeck,
Paul Urbain,
Cathrine Horn,
Anna S. Jung,
Lisa Ferrari,
Hannah K. Ruple,
Daniel Podlesny,
Stefanie Zorn,
Johnny Laupsa-Borge,
Caroline Jensen,
Inge Lindseth,
Gülen Arslan Lied,
Jutta Dierkes,
Gunnar Mellgren,
Hartmut Bertz,
Silke Matysik,
Sabrina Krautbauer,
Gerhard Liebisch,
Hans-Frieder Schoett,
Simon N. Dankel,
W. Florian Fricke
Affiliations
Alena M. Bubeck
Department of Microbiome Research and Applied Bioinformatics, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Paul Urbain
Department of Medicine I, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Cathrine Horn
Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Anna S. Jung
Department of Microbiome Research and Applied Bioinformatics, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Lisa Ferrari
Department of Microbiome Research and Applied Bioinformatics, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Hannah K. Ruple
Department of Microbiome Research and Applied Bioinformatics, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Daniel Podlesny
Department of Microbiome Research and Applied Bioinformatics, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Stefanie Zorn
Department of Medicine I, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Johnny Laupsa-Borge
Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Caroline Jensen
Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Inge Lindseth
Balderklinikken, Oslo, Norway
Gülen Arslan Lied
Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Jutta Dierkes
Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Gunnar Mellgren
Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Hartmut Bertz
Department of Medicine I, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Department of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Silke Matysik
Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Sabrina Krautbauer
Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Gerhard Liebisch
Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
Hans-Frieder Schoett
Singapore Lipidomics Incubator (SLING), Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Simon N. Dankel
Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Mohn Nutrition Research Laboratory, Centre for Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
W. Florian Fricke
Department of Microbiome Research and Applied Bioinformatics, Institute of Nutritional Sciences, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: Cholesterol-to-coprostanol conversion by the intestinal microbiota has been suggested to reduce intestinal and serum cholesterol availability, but the relationship between intestinal cholesterol conversion and the gut microbiota, dietary habits, and serum lipids has not been characterized in detail. We measured conserved proportions of cholesterol high and low-converter types in individuals with and without obesity from two distinct, independent low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) dietary intervention studies. Across both cohorts, cholesterol conversion increased in previous low-converters after LCHF diet and was positively correlated with the fecal relative abundance of Eubacterium coprostanoligenes. Lean cholesterol high-converters had increased serum triacylglycerides and decreased HDL-C levels before LCHF diet and responded to the intervention with increased LDL-C, independently of fat, cholesterol, and saturated fatty acid intake. Our findings identify the cholesterol high-converter type as a microbiome marker, which in metabolically healthy lean individuals is associated with increased LDL-C in response to LCHF.
