If you smell a lot of farts, check the TMAO level, the main culprit of arteriosclerosis
Apr 14, 2025
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At the session 'The Combination of Functional Medicine and Lifestyle Disease', Kim Ki-duk, director of the Daejeon Sun Hospital's Examination Center (Family Medicine Department), drew attention as a lecture 'Strategy to Lower TMAO, the main culprit of arteriosclerosis'.
Director of the center Kim emphasized that 'TMAO (Trimethylamine N-oxide)', which has recently attracted attention, is one of the factors inducing arteriosclerosis and suggested the possibility of controlling through improvement of eating habits. He explained that "TMAO is a substance produced by the conversion of carnitine and choline, which are abundant in meat or fish, to the intestinal microorganisms, to the liver and the resulting TMA (Trimethylamine) is converted to the liver.". In particular, he emphasized that deep-sea fish contain a large amount of TMAO to maintain the protein structure, so TMAO levels may be high in people who frequently consume deep-sea fish in excess.
According to Kim, TMAO levels need to be measured △ Among existing cardio-cerebrovascular disease patients, recurrence or worsening arteriosclerosis despite controlling risk factors △ Carotid artery stenosis occurs even though they do not smoke and do not have hyperlipidemia △ meat or fish intake high △ cardio-cerebrovascular disease risk group and fart smell bad.
In particular, center director Kim said "Certain intestinal microorganisms (desulfovibrio, clostridium, etc.) decompose choline or carnitine into TMA and produce odor gases, so smell can also be an indicator.", he explained.
As for ways to help effectively lower TMAO levels, Kim cited △ fish intake control (control after checking blood levels rather than unconditional restrictions) △ lactobacillus and mixed prebiotics intake (improving intestinal diversity) △ utilization of complex nutrients such as lactoferrin, catechin, and resveratrol △ caution on taking nutritional supplements containing high-dose carnitine and lecithin.
Meanwhile, about 300 experts in the field of lifestyle diseases attended the Spring Conference of the Korean Association for Habitual Diseases to share their latest knowledge on various topics such as high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, chronic fatigue, adult vaccination, and smoking cessation treatment.
Professor Hwang Hee-jin (International St. Mary's Hospital's Department of Family Medicine), chairman of the association's general affairs, evaluated "It was a place where practical discussions took place on a clinical approach for comprehensive treatment and prevention of lifestyle diseases." Since its foundation in 2018, the Korean Association of Habitual Diseases has been contributing to the improvement of public health by working with the aim of providing accurate lifestyle information and suggesting action plans.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
