The Gut-Friendly Reason New Research Supports A Plant-Based Diet

To truly maximize your overall health and well-being, more and more research is highlighting the importance of tending to your gut. It houses 70% of our immune system; can influence weight, skin conditions, and inflammation; and a healthy gut has repeatedly been linked with longevity.

First things first: This research was based on a particular metabolite called TMAO, or trimethylamine N-oxide. TMAO is produced in the body when we eat animal products—and it's been linked with a greater risk for heart attacks and heart disease.

So, to further study the effects of TMAO, study authors looked at existing research in a Nurses' Health Study, analyzing reports from 760 women who had recorded their eating, exercise, and smoking habits and provided two blood samples 10 years apart.

This is the first study to look at the long-term effects of TMAO. Senior author of the study Lu Qi, M.D., says it not only shows how limiting TMAO levels could reduce coronary heart disease risk but also that gut health may be a "new area to explore in heart disease prevention."

And further, the study authors contend that a vegan or vegetarian diet can limit the amount of TMAO in the body. Stanford professor Paul Heidenreich, M.D., M.S., says the findings "strengthen the case for TMAO as a potential intervention target" hoping for "more widespread adoption of healthy eating patterns."