A Common Gut Bacterium Makes a Cholesterol-Lowering Compound That Shrank Artery Plaque in Mice
Nature World News | 10.10.2026 07:00
A bacterium commonly found in the human gut produces a compound that lowered cholesterol and shrank artery plaque in mice, according to a study published Oct. 7 in Nature. The microbe, Bacteroides uniformis, makes pentadecanoic acid, a fatty acid that blocks a liver enzyme involved in cholesterol production, the same enzyme targeted by statin drugs, according to Nature's news coverage.
