Identification of Altered Metabolomic Profiles Following a Panchakarma-based Ayurvedic Intervention in Healthy Subjects: The Self-Directed Biological Transformation Initiative (SBTI)

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Abstract

The effects of integrative medicine practices such as meditation and Ayurveda on human physiology are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to identify altered metabolomic profiles following an Ayurveda-based intervention. In the experimental group, 65 healthy male and female subjects participated in a 6-day Panchakarma-based Ayurvedic intervention which included herbs, vegetarian diet, meditation, yoga, and massage. A set of 12 plasma phosphatidylcholines decreased (adjusted p < 0.01) post-intervention in the experimental (n = 65) compared to control group (n = 54) after Bonferroni correction for multiple testing; within these compounds, the phosphatidylcholine with the greatest decrease in abundance was PC ae C36:4 (delta = −0.34). Application of a 10% FDR revealed an additional 57 metabolites that were differentially abundant between groups. Pathway analysis suggests that the intervention results in changes in metabolites across many pathways such as phospholipid biosynthesis, choline metabolism, and lipoprotein metabolism. The observed plasma metabolomic alterations may reflect a Panchakarma-induced modulation of metabotypes. Panchakarma promoted statistically significant changes in plasma levels of phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins and others in just 6 days. Forthcoming studies that integrate metabolomics with genomic, microbiome and physiological parameters may facilitate a broader systems-level understanding and mechanistic insights into these integrative practices that are employed to promote health and well-being.

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Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome

Lawrence A David, Corinne F. Maurice, Rachel Carmody … (2013)

Long-term diet influences the structure and activity of the trillions of microorganisms residing in the human gut 1–5 , but it remains unclear how rapidly and reproducibly the human gut microbiome responds to short-term macronutrient change. Here, we show that the short-term consumption of diets composed entirely of animal or plant products alters microbial community structure and overwhelms inter-individual differences in microbial gene expression. The animal-based diet increased the abundance of bile-tolerant microorganisms (Alistipes, Bilophila, and Bacteroides) and decreased the levels of Firmicutes that metabolize dietary plant polysaccharides (Roseburia, Eubacterium rectale, and Ruminococcus bromii). Microbial activity mirrored differences between herbivorous and carnivorous mammals 2 , reflecting trade-offs between carbohydrate and protein fermentation. Foodborne microbes from both diets transiently colonized the gut, including bacteria, fungi, and even viruses. Finally, increases in the abundance and activity of Bilophila wadsworthia on the animal-based diet support a link between dietary fat, bile acids, and the outgrowth of microorganisms capable of triggering inflammatory bowel disease 6 . In concert, these results demonstrate that the gut microbiome can rapidly respond to altered diet, potentially facilitating the diversity of human dietary lifestyles.

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Linking long-term dietary patterns with gut microbial enterotypes.

Gary D Wu, Jun Chen, Christian Hoffmann … (2011)

Diet strongly affects human health, partly by modulating gut microbiome composition. We used diet inventories and 16S rDNA sequencing to characterize fecal samples from 98 individuals. Fecal communities clustered into enterotypes distinguished primarily by levels of Bacteroides and Prevotella. Enterotypes were strongly associated with long-term diets, particularly protein and animal fat (Bacteroides) versus carbohydrates (Prevotella). A controlled-feeding study of 10 subjects showed that microbiome composition changed detectably within 24 hours of initiating a high-fat/low-fiber or low-fat/high-fiber diet, but that enterotype identity remained stable during the 10-day study. Thus, alternative enterotype states are associated with long-term diet.

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Gut flora metabolism of phosphatidylcholine promotes cardiovascular disease

Zeneng Wang, Elizabeth Klipfell, Brian J. Bennett … (2011)

Metabolomics studies hold promise for discovery of pathways linked to disease processes. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the leading cause of death and morbidity worldwide. A metabolomics approach was used to generate unbiased small molecule metabolic profiles in plasma that predict risk for CVD. Three metabolites of the dietary lipid phosphatidylcholine, namely choline, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), and betaine, were identified and then shown to predict risk for CVD in an independent large clinical cohort. Dietary supplementation of mice with choline, TMAO or betaine promoted up-regulation of multiple macrophage scavenger receptors linked to atherosclerosis, and supplementation with choline or TMAO promoted atherosclerosis. Studies using germ-free mice confirmed a critical role for dietary choline and gut flora in TMAO production, augmented macrophage cholesterol accumulation and foam cell formation. Suppression of intestinal microflora in atherosclerosis-prone mice inhibited dietary choline-enhanced atherosclerosis. Genetic variations controlling expression of flavin monooxygenases (FMOs), an enzymatic source of TMAO, segregated with atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemic mice. Discovery of a relationship between gut flora-dependent metabolism of dietary phosphatidylcholine and CVD pathogenesis provides opportunities for development of both novel diagnostic tests and therapeutic approaches for atherosclerotic heart disease.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Sci Rep

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Sci Rep

Title: Scientific Reports

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

ISSN (Electronic): 2045-2322

Publication date (Electronic): 09 September 2016

Publication date Collection: 2016

Volume: 6

Electronic Location Identifier: 32609

Affiliations

[1 ]Center of Excellence for Research and Training in Integrative Health, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California San Diego , La Jolla, California, USA

[2 ]Department of Ayurveda and Yoga Research, Chopra Foundation , Carlsbad, California, USA

[3 ]Proteomics Core Facility, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina, USA

[4 ]Proteomics and Metabolomics Shared Resource Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University Medical Center , Durham, North Carolina, USA

[5 ]Chopra Center for Wellbeing , Carlsbad, California, USA

[6 ]Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California San Diego , La Jolla, California, USA

[7 ]Infectious & Inflammatory Disease Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute , La Jolla, California, USA

[8 ]Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York , New York, USA

[9 ]Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts, USA

[10 ]Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine and the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University Health System , Durham, North Carolina, USA

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[a ] chpeterson@ 123456ucsd.edu

Article

Publisher Item ID: srep32609

DOI: 10.1038/srep32609

PMC ID: 5017211

PubMed ID: 27611967

SO-VID: 1c0141bc-57ce-4449-a124-f95424927b0b

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History

Date received : 15 February 2016

Date accepted : 11 August 2016

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Identification of Altered Metabolomic Profiles Following a Panchakarma-based Ayurvedic Intervention in Healthy Subjects: The Self-Directed Biological Transformation Initiative (SBTI)

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Clinical Social Work and Health Intervention

Most cited references 41

Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome

Linking long-term dietary patterns with gut microbial enterotypes.

Gut flora metabolism of phosphatidylcholine promotes cardiovascular disease

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