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Identification of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)-producer phenotype is interesting, but is it helpful?
  1. Arduino Arduini1,
  2. Victor A Zammit2,
  3. Mario Bonomini3
  1. 1 R&D Department, CoreQuest Sagl, Manno, Switzerland
  2. 2 Translational Medicine, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
  3. 3 Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University of “G. d’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy
  1. Correspondence to Dr Arduino Arduini, R&D Department, CoreQuest Sagl, Manno 6928, Switzerland; a.arduini{at}corequest.ch

https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2018-318000

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    We read with great interest the paper by Wu et al 1 reporting on the development of a carnitine challenge test to facilitate the identification of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)-producer phenotype and host-diet-gut dysbiosis. Such a test assumes that, according to a partial reading of the literature, TMAO plays a key role in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Accordingly, the authors assert the implied importance of the potential for adverse CVD-inducing actions of compounds generating TMAO subsequent to the action of gut microbiota on dietary carnitine. However, a more objective reading of the literature shows that the biomedical community is still debating the potential involvement of TMAO in inducing …

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors The authors have equally contributed to the paper.

    • Competing interests AA is an employee of CoreQuest Sagl. Other authors have no competing interests to declare.

    • Patient consent Not required.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.