Effect of probiotics on reducing diet-induced inflammation and atherosclerotic plaque formation in APoE-knockout mice

Diets which reduce carbohydrate intake and increase protein intake, such as Atkins diet, are popular and effective for weight loss. However, such diets may negatively affect cardiovascular health by increasing atherosclerotic plaque formation, and overall lead to higher mortality. Vuckovic and Bergdahl previously used mouse model that mimics spontaneous formation of atherosclerotic plaques in humans to investigate the effect of a low carbohydrate-high protein (LCHP) diet on plaque formation. Their results identified the involvement of inflammatory pathways in adverse effects of LCHP diet in comparison to control and high-fat diets. We hypothesize that the administration of anti-inflammatory probiotic supplements can regulate the levels of inflammation and thus reduce the plaque formation in this animal model. Our findings will play an important role to better understand if the risks of LCHP diets can be minimized using probiotics and to understand more generally what effect this probiotic formulation has on diet-induced chronic inflammation.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dajana Vuckovic;Andreas Bergdahl

Student:

Partner:

Lallemand Health Solutions (Inactive)

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Biotechnology

University:

Concordia University

Program: