Evidence of dysbiosis in the intestinal microbial ecosystem of children and adolescents with primary hyperlipidemia and the potential role of regular hazelnut intake

Abstract

Hyperlipidemia starts at a pediatric age and represents an unquestionable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Modulation of the intestinal microbial ecosystem (IME), in principle, can ameliorate lipid profiles. In this study, we characterized the IME of children and adolescents with primary hyperlipidemia by analyzing fecal samples through 16S rRNA gene profiling (n = 15) and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) quantification (n = 32). The same analyses were also carried out on age-matched normolipidemic controls (n = 15). Moreover, we evaluated the modulatory effect of regular hazelnut intake (approximately 0.43 g of hazelnuts with skin per kg of body weight) on the IME of 15 children and adolescents with hyperlipidemia for eight weeks. We found alterations of numerous operational taxonomic units potentially associated with SCFA-producing bacteria and reductions in the fecal levels of acetate, butyrate and propionate in hyperlipidemic subjects. Furthermore, we observed that an eight-week hazelnut intervention may induce limited changes in fecal microbiota composition but can significantly modulate the fecal levels of predominant intestinal SCFAs, such as acetate. Finally, correlation analyses indicated that changes in lipidemic parameters are linked to modifications of the abundance of specific bacterial taxa, such as the families Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae and the genera Akkermansia, Bacteroides, Roseburia, and Faecalibacterium. This study suggests that children and adolescents with primary hyperlipidemia possess an altered IME. The promising results presented here support the need for future dietary interventions aimed at positively modulating the IME of hyperlipidemic subjects.

Calcium Oxalate Nephrolithiasis and Gut Microbiota: Not just a Gut-Kidney Axis. A Nutritional Perspective

“…Adaptive changes of gut microbiota composition in stone formers following a high-oxalate diet could also help to explain why, in the Suryavanshi study mentioned above [44], stone formers had a high representation of oxalate-degrading species, a finding that is not coherent with the other studies listed in Table 3. A high intake of foods with elevated oxalate content, such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and pistachios, has been associated with specific changes of gut microbiota composition [110][111][112][113][114][115]. These changes are generally considered beneficial for human health and include an increased relative abundance of Lachnospira, Roseburia, Dialister, Faecalibacterium, and Lactobacillus with increased production of SCFA [110][111][112][113][114][115].…”

“…A high intake of foods with elevated oxalate content, such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and pistachios, has been associated with specific changes of gut microbiota composition [110][111][112][113][114][115]. These changes are generally considered beneficial for human health and include an increased relative abundance of Lachnospira, Roseburia, Dialister, Faecalibacterium, and Lactobacillus with increased production of SCFA [110][111][112][113][114][115]. The effects on Bifidobacteria and non-pathogenic Clostridia were uncertain, with some studies reporting increased representation and others reporting depletion [111,113].…”

The effect of nut consumption (tree nuts and peanuts) on the gut microbiota of humans: a systematic review

“…The remaining three studies consisted of a parallel design randomised controlled trial (33) and two pre-test/post-test studies (29,30) . Studies were predominantly published in the USA (27,(31)(32)(33)(34) (n 5/8), with one being published in Germany (28) , one in Italy (30) and one in Spain (29) . Sample sizes ranged from n 15 to 194, with the proportion of female participants in each study ranging from 28 to 83 %.…”

“…While the health benefits of nuts may in part be due to their unique nutritional composition, the exact mechanism by which nuts exert this range of beneficial health effects remains unclear. Previous trials have examined the specific microbial shifts that occur with nut consumption (27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34) ; however, due to inconsistency of study findings, there is a need to evaluate the evidence base. The present systematic review aimed to synthesise the existing evidence regarding the effect of nut consumption (tree nuts and peanuts) on the gut microbiota of humans.…”

Plant-Based Fat, Dietary Patterns Rich in Vegetable Fat and Gut Microbiota Modulation

“…The authors reported a non-significant difference in the microbial composition after the hazelnut intervention between the hyperlipidimic and control participants. In SCFAs' (measured in feces), only a significant increase in acetate concentrations was reported after the intervention in the hyperlipidimic group (59).…”