The consumption of dietary supplements containing essential oils of parsley, savory and rosemary produce prebiotic effects on the intestinal microbiota and can reduce the cardiovascular risk of patients with ischemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a study carried out with mice by scientists from the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital in Malaga, the Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga and the Nanomedicine Platform (IBIMA BIONAND Platform), the University of Malaga and the CIBER for Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV).
The researchers carried out their tests in a humanized model by transplanting the gut microbiota of patients with ischemic heart disease and type 2 diabetes into mice through their feces. Later, emulsions of different essential oils from plants commonly used in the Mediterranean diet such as savory, parsley and rosemary were developed, which were administered to the animals combined with L-carnitine, a non-essential amino acid related to fat mobilization. .
The results have shown that these formulations have a beneficial impact on the microbiota and favor, above all, the presence of bacteria of the Lactobacillus genus. The team of scientists also observed an increase in the levels of short-chain fatty acids and a reduction in trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Short-chain fatty acids are molecules produced by bacteria when fermenting food components inside the colon. They have a protective effect against metabolic diseases and obesity, and have an anti-inflammatory effect, among many other benefits for the body. . Conversely, elevated levels of TMAO in the blood have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
“This work demonstrates that essential oils derived from aromatic plants for culinary use in the Mediterranean diet promote health and protect against inflammation and oxidative stress”
Treatment with essential oil emulsions was not only associated with these microbiome changes, but also produced a general reduction in the levels of inflammatory and oxidative markers in this humanized model. Therefore, these essential oils could contribute to an improvement in the regulation of cardiovascular and metabolic factors.
“This work demonstrates that essential oils derived from aromatic plants for culinary use in the Mediterranean diet promote health and protect against inflammation and oxidative stress, processes that are frequently observed in cardiometabolic diseases,” explained Francisco Javier Pavón, IBIMA researcher. BIONAND platform, the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital in Malaga and the CIBERCV.
“The prebiotic effects of these emulsions with the increase in short-chain fatty acids and the reduction in TMAO also translate into a more favorable inflammatory state, which is highly beneficial for cardiovascular health,” adds Manuel Jiménez, researcher at IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND. , from the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital, IBIMA BIONAND Platform and CIBERCV.
Supplements of natural origin to control diabetes
Type 2 diabetes can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular complications, such as ischemic heart disease, the most common form of cardiovascular disease and the leading cause of death in Europe, and previous studies in patients with ischemic heart disease suggest that type 2 diabetes is related with an impairment of the immune system mediated by the intestinal microbiota.
“We know that type 2 diabetes can significantly alter intestinal microbial populations in patients with ischemic heart disease and that there is growing interest in replacing pharmacological therapies with naturally-derived nutritional interventions and supplements, which would improve safety and quality of life. of our patients” have stated the researchers.
Essential oils are bioactive components derived from herbs or plant extracts that are used in the kitchen and that have been studied as potential modulators of physiological processes related to ischemic heart disease, so they are key elements in a dietary intervention that helps to control these pathologies, although the researchers acknowledge that it is necessary to extend and validate their results in other groups of patients to better understand the modulation of the intestinal microbiota and the physiological parameters related to these cardiometabolic diseases.
Researchers from the University of Extremadura and the CIBERCV groups of Marisa Crespo at the A Coruña University Hospital Complex and Pedro Luis Sánchez at the Salamanca University Hospital have also collaborated in the research.
Their results have been published in the journal Nutrients and have allowed them to obtain a European patent.
Source: CIBER of Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV)
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