Gut-Heart connection

Our gut health & heart are interlinked & key to heart health lies in gut microbiome equilibrium.

Heart disease is one of the prominent reasons for death globally. The impact of heart disease is devastating & shocking.

To take care of our health, we have already been told to eat healthy & indulge in regular workout. Various food items available on various super markets & online stores mentions & claims to be heart healthy & low in cholesterol. The irony is with so much advancement in modern medicine the number of people suffering from heart diseases continues to rise.

So is a healthy diet & exercise really a solution to overcome the risk of heart diseases? It turns out that there is a missing link & empirical evidence & research indicates a gut microbiome. 

Lots of us are perplexed how bloating, gassy or other digestive issues can lead to blocking of arteries & possible heart stroke. How can a simple stool or saliva test to evaluate phylum or species of bacteria living in our gut can assess the susceptibility of catching heart disease?

A little bloating, gassy or  constipation here & there is fine & can go unnoticed however if these digestive issues occur regularly & goes unaddressed for a longer period time &/or temporary deferred through OTC medications, can lead to more serious cardiovascular issues going forward.

So the million dollar question is how gut health & heart diseases are connected? There are a multitude of factors that explain how imbalance in our gut bacteria can potentially lead to heart diseases. We will discuss each of these in detail:

1. Acid Reflux & SIBO:  At Least 25% of the global population suffer from acid Reflux & SIBO every month. However those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, this figure can be as high as 80%. As such, the risk of heart disease is increasing in individuals suffering from digestive issues or having at least one gastrointestinal condition( Acid, Reflux, SIBO, IBS, IBD) & vice versa. SIBO occurs when bacteria living in our colon move to other parts of the body such as the small intestine, making our gut equilibrium go out of balance. This happens when we eat heavy dinner, experience stress/anxiety  or have disturbed circadian rhythm, making food stagnant /floating around our small intestine( makes stomach acid move back from stomach to esophagus).

 SIBO has been associated with forming of  blood clots in one of the deeper veins in our body. This happens due to release of toxins or lipopolysaccharides(LPS) when we eat something which does not feed our beneficial bacteria( for instance when we do not have oxalobacter in our gut and we eat lot of beetroot, spinach or almonds or consume high protein diet which leads to release of ammonia gas, high fat diet which results in malabsorption of bile acid). This release of LPS produces metabolites( poop of our gut bacteria / chemical compounds) which has been associated with creating inflammation in our body including inflammation in our arteries. This increases risk of developing heart diseases.

2. Leaky gut & intestinal permeability: Intestinal permeability or hole in our gut lining is another potential cause of developing heart diseases. When gut lining weakens due to release of toxins & other harmful gases as a result of fermenting food by our gut bacteria, our gut becomes permeable or leaky. This happens when we are continuously having a diet/food that does not feed beneficial bacteria( feeds bad ones or opportunistic pathogens such as consuming sugary soda, preserved meat, high amount of protein, high amount of fats or even vegetables which cannot be broken down by our gut bacteria) which in turn releases harmful metabolites leading to production of toxins & specifically LPS by our gut microorganisms. This allows food particles & bacteria to move into the bloodstream causing chronic inflammation & allergies. This is more serious when large amounts of lipopolysaccharides(LPS) are in circulation, it can result in systemic inflammation & metabolic endotoxemia. This occurs when blood serum level of LPS increases at least 3 times of normal levels. This increased LPS level has been associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Leaky gut can increase the likelihood of LPS entering the circulation, thereby leading to metabolic issues.
3. High level of Trimethylamine- Di-Oxide (TMAO): Another harmful toxin & metabolic that can be a potential source of cardiovascular diseases is Trimethylene- Di-Oxide(TMAO). This is released when our  diet is high in L-carnitine & choline. These come from food such as red meat, eggs, poultry & fish. When these foods are consumed, certain gut microorganisms release Trimethylamine(TMA). TMA can then be converted into TMAO which can cause plaque formation in arteries also referred to as atherosclerosis. High levels of TMAO have been associated with high mortality rates not taking into account other risks such as diabetes, obesity & kidney diseases.

So what is the solution ? The good news is that production of beneficial compounds such as short chain fatty acids( Butyrate, acetate & propionate) protects & improves our heart health. These short chain fatty acids are generally made by our gut microbiome. These metabolites or beneficial compounds( by products of metabolising of food by our gut bacteria) also play an important role in blood pressure regulation. According to recent research, regulating & reducing high blood pressure levels through modulation of our gut microbiome is a promising & effective way of treating cardiovascular diseases.

If you experience chest pains or fluctuation in blood pressure level, it is not cholesterol but gut dysbiosis( some symptoms which you should consider SIBO, acid reflux, bloating, constipation & many more) that may be playing a spoilsport When you are looking for a nutrition solution to reduce/eliminate risk of heart diseases, it is important to evaluate your own personal needs unique for your body. Our up the gut solution provides personalised nutrition recommendations based on functional analysis of your gut microbiome without getting into guess work. For details or free discovery call, please sign up here.

Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5193062/