What Do Gut Bugs Have to Do With High Cholesterol? A Lot

It's hard to think of bacteria as the good guys when it comes to health, but research increasingly shows that the bugs that live in our gut may have a big influence on our well-being. In a new study, scientists find that these bugs may affect how patients respond to potentially life-saving drugs like statins.


Statin drugs can help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in people who take them. But not every patient benefits from the medications, and doctors didn't have any good explanations for why.

Now, researchers report in the journal PLoS One that the answer may lie with our gut bacteria. These bugs normally live in our intestines and work to digest and break down the food we eat. But scientists have recently learned that their impact goes even further; they also produce vitamins, assist the immune system and may affect everything from our weight to the way we metabolize drugs.   More Read