Mitochondrial Homeostasis in Obesity-related Hypertriglyceridemia.

CONTEXT: The prevalence of obesity and hypertriglyceridemia is an alarming worldwide health issue. Mitochondria play a central role in these disorders as they control cell metabolism. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to characterize mitochondrial homeostasis in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue (SAT and VAT) in grade III obese patients with and without hypertriglyceridemia. Moreover, this study presents the evaluation of mitochondrial fitness as a marker for hypertriglyceridemia improvement. PATIENTS: Eight control and 12 hypertriglyceridemic (HTG) grade III obese subjects undergoing bariatric surgery were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Anthropometric and biochemical data were obtained before and 3 months after surgery. Mitochondrial homeostasis was evaluated by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), gene expression and protein abundance in SAT and VAT. RESULTS: Mitophagy-related gene expression was increased in HTG SAT and VAT, while mitochondrial marker gene expression and mtDNA were decreased, indicating an altered mitochondrial homeostasis in HTG. Mitophagy protein abundance was increased in VAT of those subjects that did not improve their levels of triglycerides after bariatric surgery, whereas mitochondrial protein was decreased in the same tissue. Indeed, triglyceride levels positively correlated with mitophagy-related genes and negatively with mitochondrial content markers. Moreover, mitochondria content and mitophagy markers seem to be significant predictors of hypertriglyceridemia and hypertriglyceridemia remission. CONCLUSIONS: Mitochondrial homeostasis of adipose tissue is altered in hypertriglyceridemic patients. At the protein level, mitochondria content and mitophagy are potential markers of hypertriglyceridemia remission in obese patients after bariatric surgery. These results may contribute to the implementation of a clinical approach for personalized medicine.

Effect of Moderate Consumption of Different Phenolic-Content Beers on the Human Gut Microbiota Composition: A Randomized Crossover Trial.

The moderate consumption of beer has been associated with positive effects on health, and these benefits are driven, in part, by the antioxidant properties of phenolic compounds found in this beverage. However, the potential impact of beer polyphenols on the human gut microbiome and their consequences are yet to be elucidated. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the effect of three different phenolic-content beers on the gut microbiome and the potential role of the induced shifts in the antioxidant capacity of beer polyphenols. In total, 20 subjects (10 healthy volunteers and 10 individuals with metabolic syndrome) were randomly assigned in a crossover design to consume each of the different beers (alcohol-free, lager or dark beer) during a 2-week intervention. Significant changes in the relative abundance of Streptococcaceae and Streptococcus were found after beer consumption. An increased abundance of Streptococcaceae and Streptococcus was observed after the consumption of dark beer, with no detected differences between baseline and alcohol-free/lager beer intervention. Moreover, some of the detected differences appeared to be related to the metabolic status. Finally, a decrease in porphyrin metabolism and heme biosynthesis was found after the intervention, especially after the consumption of dark beer. These results show that the antioxidant capacity of beer polyphenols may induce positive shifts in gut microbiota composition, and some of the observed changes may also boost the antioxidant capacity of these compounds.