Obese people who take statins to manage their cholesterol are LESS likely to have harmful gut bacteria linked to bowel disease, study finds

• Group of bad gut bacteria called Bact2 is more common in people with obesity 
• However it was less common in obese people who were regularly taking statins 
• Bact2 was found in 3.9% of lean individuals and 17.7% of obese people 

Statins may reduce the amount of harmful microbiota in the guts of obese people, according to a new study.   

Scientists have found that a type of gut bacteria known as Bact2 is far more common in obese people.  

These microbes are seen in just 3.9 per cent of lean individuals, but are present in more than one in six (17.7 per cent) people who are clinically obese. 

However, just 5.9 per cent of obese people who take statins have Bact2 in their guts, suggesting that the cholesterol treatment might provide some protection. 

Previous research has found links connecting Bact2 to bowel disease. 

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Scientist found a colony of bacteria found in the gut called Bact2 is far more common in obese people. This collection of microbes is seen in just 3.9 per cent of lean individuals but is present in more than one in six obese people (17.7 per cent) (stock)

The findings, based on more than 3,500 people, could help manage some of the side-effects brought on by obesity. 

In an opinion piece, published in Nature, Dr Peter Libby from Harvard Medical School says: 'More than 75 per cent of individuals who have inflammatory bowel disease have the Bact2 enterotype, whereas fewer than 15 per cent of people who do not have the disease harbour this enterotype.

'Beyond the gut, many researchers have implicated gut microbes in obesity and the cluster of conditions referred to as metabolic syndrome. 

'However, the nature of the relationship between microbes and these conditions remains under debate. Studies have also linked gut bacteria to cardiovascular disease.'  

The study initially assessed 888 lean and obese participants from France, Germany and Denmark and revealed Bact2 prevalence increased with BMI.

The same trend was observed among 2,350 Belgian people taking part in the VIB-KU Leuven Flemish Gut Flora Project, and another 280 Europeans with heart disease.

Principal author Dr Sara Vieira-Silva, of VIB-KU Leuven in Belgium, said: 'These results suggest statins could potentially modulate the harmful gut microbiota alterations sustaining inflammation in obesity.'

She suggested there were a couple of possible explanation for this. One is that statins might create a less hostile gut environment, allowing healthy microbiota to develop.

Another is that they could benefit non-inflammatory bacteria, leading to a reduction in inflammation cased by Bact2. 

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Just 5.9 per cent of obese people that take statins expressed the Bact2 colony. Previous research has found links connecting Bact2 to bowel disease (stock)

WHY ARE STATINS CONTROVERSIAL? 

Statins are the most commonly prescribed drug in the world and an estimated 30 per cent of all adults over the age of 40 are eligible to take them.

The cholesterol-lowering drugs are given to people believed to have a 10 per cent or higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease or having a heart attack or stroke within the next 10 years.

They are proven to help people who have suffered heart problems in the past, but experts say the thresholds may be too high, meaning benefits are outweighed by side effects for many people.

Nearly all men exceed the 10 per cent threshold by age 65, and all women do so by age 70 – regardless of their health.

Commonly reported side effects include headache, muscle pain and nausea, and statins can also increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hepatitis, pancreatitis and vision problems or memory loss.

Research published in the Pharmaceutical Journal last year found taking a daily statin for five years after a heart attack extends your life by just four days, new research reveals.

And Dr Rita Redberg, professor at the University of California, San Francisco told CNN in January that of 100 people taking statins for five years without having had a heart attack or stroke, 'the best estimates are that one or two people will avoid a heart attack, and none will live longer, by taking statins.

'We found systemic inflammation in participants carrying Bact2 to be higher than expected based on their BMI,' Dr Vieira-Silva said.

'Even though this study design does not allow inferring causality, our analyses do suggest that gut bacteria play a role in the process of developing obesity-associated comorbidities by sustaining inflammation.

'While these key findings confirmed our study hypothesis, the results we obtained when comparing statin-treated and untreated participants came as a total surprise.'  

Gut bacteria has been linked to most major diseases. 

For many years, dietary interventions such as pro and pre-biotics have been aimed at improving it.

But recently there has been increasing interest in using drugs to boost human microbiota.

Study leader Professor Jeroen Raes, also of VIB-KU Leuven, said: 'The potential beneficial impact of statins on the gut microbiota opens novel perspectives in disease treatment, especially given the fact that we have associated Bact2 with several pathologies in which a role of the gut microbiota has been postulated.

'Our results open a whole range of possibilities for novel, gut microbiota modulating drug development.'

He described the results published in Nature as 'promising' but accepts more research is needed as 'cause-and-effect' has not been established.

Patients on statins might have adopted a radically healthy lifestyle after being diagnosed - which could have boosted their gut ecosystem.

Dr Libby, who was not involved in the research, praised the study, calling its methods 'exhaustive'. 

He called the finding that statins are linked to lower expression of Bact2 surprising and unexpected.

Dr Libby, and the researchers who conducted the study, mention that it is now important to find out if the statins caused the drop in Bact2 levels. 

He  says: 'As the authors of this large and carefully executed study rightfully acknowledge, we should consider whether statin takers have had better access to health care or been more engaged in other health-promoting behaviours than have the individuals who were not taking statins. 

'A large-scale clinical trial to determine whether statins lead to a reduced prevalence of the Bact2 enterotype in obese participants who would not otherwise receive statins could address this possibility, which is known as confounding by indication.'