Our gut flora could change dramatically after quitting smoking, according to new research. But what the changes mean still needs to be investigated. The small pilot study, which researchers are presenting during the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia, follows previous research linking gut bacteria to cardiovascular health. So previous work has shown that smoking is associated with a decrease in the diversity of beneficial bacterial species living in the gut.
Possible results after quitting smoking
For the new study, researchers examined 26 people whostop smoking, and analyzed their stool samples at the start of the research and again after two weeks, and another 12 weeks later. “We have concluded that the intestinal flora changes after smoking cessation, and I think that is a significant piece of science,” said the study's lead author, Dr. Marcus Sublette.
“It has already been established thatSmoking changes the gut microbiome. We add here that smoking cessation itself continues to alter the gut microbiome. Then of course the question arises: 'Is this good? Or is it bad?' We don't know yet. ”
The study showed that improvements in bacterial diversity were associated with reductions in heart rate, systolic blood pressure and c-reactive protein levels. However, these increase in response to inflammation. There was also an increase in hemoglobin, the red blood cells that carry oxygen. “All of these changes are indirect markers of potentially better health,” said Sublette, a cardiology fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “It expands the hypothesis that the gut microbiome is really doing something against cardiovascular disease for more fuel.”
Health perspectives
Sublette said researchers also found that people who quit smoking showed a decrease in the levels of some bacteria. These are currently called Firmicutes. However, there has been an increase in others called Bacteroides. “It is difficult to know exactly what this relationship means because we are still very early in our understanding of the gut microbiome and cardiovascular disease. But it adds to the bigger picture and helps us understand this,” he said. The study was limited because of the small patient size and relatively narrow focus, Sublette said. “We don’t focus on the exact type of bacteria. Rather, we are looking for larger proportions or ratios of large groups of bacteria.”
Sublette said he plans to conduct future research that involves feeding mice live bacteria from humans. “If we give a sterile mouse the microbiota of both a consistent smoker and a successful drug user, how does their progression of atherosclerotic disease change?” Dr. Stanley Hazen, director of the Center for Microbiome and Human Health at the Cleveland Clinic, said the study results "suggest the need to take a global look at metabolism, including the gut microbial community." Hazen, who was not involved in the research, said: “Changing our environmental exposure affects the host in many different ways, including changes in the gut microbial community. What changes occur as a result of smoking cessation is an interesting question that remains to be determined.”
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