PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of this proposal is to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome, gut derived
metabolites, and metabolic syndrome traits. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors including central
obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance with a range of secondary sequelae such as
cardiovascular disease (CVD), cerebrovascular disease, and diabetes. Metabolic syndrome has been identified
as one of the greatest world health challenges of the 21st century. There are emerging data that the gut
microbiota have an important role for the development of metabolic syndrome and directly influences host
phenotypes. A detailed understanding of the factors underlying metabolic syndrome will be useful in
developing effective prevention strategies and appropriate intervention strategies for at risk individuals. In order
to better understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and metabolic syndrome traits, we will
perform a secondary analysis of data from the Metabolic Syndrome in Men (METSIM) study. This is a
population-based cohort of 10,197 men aged 45-73 years, randomly selected from the population register of
Kuopio, Eastern Finland, from 2005 to 2010. This population has been uniquely characterized for
cardiovascular clinical traits such as coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, and metabolic syndrome
traits. This proposal extends the impact of the parent study, which aimed to investigate nongenetic and genetic
factors associated with metabolic syndrome and CVD in both cross sectional and longitudinal analysis. We will
analyze a subset of approximately 1000 subjects who participated in a 7-year follow-up. Our hypothesis is that
gut microbes contribute to metabolic syndrome traits in part through their metabolites and their metabolites are
associated with major cardiovascular events. We will first determine the gut derived metabolites that have
association with metabolic syndrome traits. Once we identify the subset of metabolites, we will identify
individual and clusters of microbes that may influence the levels of certain plasma metabolites. We will also
determine the association of plasma concentrations of the gut microbe-generated metabolite with major
adverse cardiovascular events. Data will be analyzed using Lasso regression, latent class analysis, path
analysis, and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results from this project will inform research on developing
patient-centered prevention strategies and interventions. Understanding of the host-microbiome inter-
relationships may result in novel therapeutic approaches for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of metabolic
disorders.