Metabolic consequences of Helicobacter pylori infection and eradication

Core Tip

Core tip: Although Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in considered the main cause of peptic ulcer, gastric cancer and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, the infection could induce many extragastric manifestations: among them, the metabolic disturbances are less well debated. Growth-as expression of general metabolism-could be delayed especially in low income-high infection prevalence regions and this can be restored by timely eradication of the infection. H. pylori infection may be associated with increased total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and decrease of high density liporotein, creating an atherogenic lipid profile and promoting atherosclerosis. H. pylori is consistently associated with insulin resistance. In the future, larg-scale studies are needed to clarify if eradication of H. pylori will result in restoration of normal growth, decrease of atherosclerotic disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.