Production of trimethylamine--oxide (TMAO) via the gut microbiota has recently been proposed as an important pathophysiological mechanism linking ingestion of 'unhealthy foods', such as beef (containing carnitine) and eggs (containing choline), and the development of atherosclerosis. Hence, TMAO has gained attention as a novel biomarker for cardiovascular disease. However, fish and seafood contain considerable amounts of TMAO and are generally accepted as cardioprotective: a puzzling paradox that seems to have been neglected. We suspect that the TMAO story may be a red herring.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16512235.2017.1327309 | DOI Listing |
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Gut microbes with the genes determine TMAO production from L-carnitine intake and serve as a biomarker for precision nutrition.
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Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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January 2025
Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, and School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Background: Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a gut microbial metabolite derived from dietary l-carnitine and choline. High plasma TMAO levels are associated with cardiovascular disease and overall mortality, but little is known about the associations of TMAO and related metabolites with the risk of kidney function decline among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
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Trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), a microbial metabolite commonly found in foods, has been attracting increasing attention as it is associated with the risk of several diseases. Simple and accurate analytical methods are crucial for TMAO study. In the present study, we proposed a chemical reaction-based fluorescence assay for TMAO detection using synthetic small molecular probes.
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