The Claim

In patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), polyphenol supplementation is associated with an increased abundance of Alistipes finegoldii and a decreased abundance of Alistipes timonensis, where Alistipes finegoldii abundance is negatively correlated with plasma TMAO levels and Alistipes timonensis abundance is positively correlated with plasma TMAO levels.

Source: Polyphenol-mediated microbiome modulation in STEMI patients: a pilot study

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
81score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Correlation
1 study reviewed
In plain English

In patients with STEMI, polyphenol supplementation is linked to higher levels of Alistipes finegoldii and lower levels of Alistipes timonensis; higher Alistipes finegoldii levels are associated with lower plasma TMAO levels, while higher Alistipes timonensis levels are associated with higher plasma TMAO levels.

See the scientific wording

In STEMI patients, polyphenol supplementation is associated with increased abundance of Alistipes finegoldii and decreased abundance of Alistipes timonensis, with the former negatively correlated and the latter positively correlated with plasma TMAO levels, suggesting species-specific effects within the same genus.

Why this might work

Polyphenols feed beneficial gut bacteria that make butyrate, which strengthens the gut lining and outcompetes harmful bacteria that produce TMAO. This causes the good bacteria to grow and the bad ones to shrink, reducing the amount of TMAO entering the blood.

Verified mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study
  1. Study: Polyphenol-mediated microbiome modulation in STEMI patients: a pilot study

    In heart attack patients, taking polyphenol supplements increased a good gut bacteria (Alistipes finegoldii) linked to lower TMAO and decreased a bad one (Alistipes timonensis) linked to higher TMAO, showing that even closely related bacteria can have opposite effects on heart health.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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