How heavy drinking changes gut bacteria and harms heart and blood vessel health
Official title: Alcohol-induced Gut Dysbiosis and Cardiovascular Disease
Funded at University of South Florida · NIH-11324502 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether hazardous alcohol use changes gut microbes and their chemicals in ways that worsen blood vessel and heart health for people who drink heavily.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tampa, United States) |
| Project start | August 8, 2023 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $400,850 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA029984-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11324502 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with hazardous or heavy alcohol use who are at risk for or have atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or related risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of heavy alcohol use or those with non-atherosclerotic heart conditions are less likely to directly benefit from this work.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will compare people who drink hazardously with others by collecting stool and blood samples to study gut bacteria and gut-derived chemicals such as TMAO. They will measure blood vessel and heart function to look for links between those chemicals and vascular problems. Laboratory models will be used to test how those metabolites affect the blood vessels and whether changing the microbiome can help. The team aims to identify microbiome-based ways to reduce alcohol-related heart disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to new ways to prevent or treat alcohol-related cardiovascular disease by targeting gut microbes or their metabolites.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have linked the gut microbiome and the metabolite TMAO to atherosclerosis, but applying this connection specifically to hazardous alcohol use and testing microbiome-targeted approaches is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of South Florida
Tampa, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sharp, Thomas E. — University of South Florida
- Study coordinator: Sharp, Thomas E.
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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.