How diet and gut bacteria affect heart disease risk
Dietary Etiology of Heart Disease
This project looks at whether gut bacteria and the metabolites they produce, linked to diet and alcohol use, can predict future coronary heart disease in adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11320121 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will follow adults over time and collect stool and blood samples to measure gut microbial composition and metabolites. They will link those molecular patterns with participants' diets, alcohol use, and later heart events. By comparing people who do and do not develop coronary heart disease, the team hopes to find gut- and diet-related signals that come before disease. The work uses prospective data rather than one-time comparisons so it can better suggest which signals might come first.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults willing to provide stool and blood samples, share diet and alcohol information, and be followed over time for heart outcomes are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who already have advanced or treated coronary artery disease are less likely to receive direct benefit from this risk-focused research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify early markers or dietary/microbiome targets to help prevent coronary heart disease.
How similar studies have performed: Prior cross-sectional studies have linked gut microbes and metabolites to heart disease, but prospective metabolome-based prediction is newer and less established.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rimm, Eric B — Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health
- Study coordinator: Rimm, Eric B
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.