Nutrition-Heart health connection

We have been facing issues related to cardiovascular diseases for the last 4 decades. This dreaded disease takes 17.9 million lives each year, accounting for 31% of deaths worldwide. With scientific revolution & advances, there are ample ways which can be adopted by people to take care of their health. The only way to prevent & reverse this biggest epidemic is dietary & lifestyle changes which can bring a positive impact on heart health.

Foods rich in saturated fats levels have been associated disturbed heart conditions & increased incidence of plagues. These artery blockages can lead to coronary heart diseases & increased susceptibility of cardiovascular events. Research & empirical evidence has indicated a strong positive correlation between heart diseases & consumption of red meat. However, there have been a lot of debates on what is causing this interaction. Since the last 4 decades, scientists & doctors have been associating cardiovascular diseases with high cholesterol & high concentration of saturated fats however there has been no supporting evidence to substantiate this connection. However, people are being told to reduce the cholesterol level to manage their heart health.. We have been living in this myth for the last 4 decades. What has went unnoticed the fact that cholesterol plays a pivotal role in production of various hormones & neurotransmitters that facilitate connection between gut & brain

Detailed research, evidence & used cases has confirmed the fact that occurrence of cardiovascular events is associated with equilibrium of our gut microbiome. Higher circulatory level of a compound/metabolite- trimethylamine N-oxide(TMAO) was common among people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Besides, TMAO has also been associated with kidney disease. So the question arises how the rise of TMAO comes from? The answer lies in food we eat & what does gut bacteria living in our large intestine does with the food- the digestive system

The compound TMAO is actually formed from food that is high in carnitine & choline found in many foods such as eggs, poultry, fish & red meat. Surprised? These foods are high in animal protein( & animal fat as well). Contrary to the view where a lot of fitness companies & coaches endorse having a high protein diet, having high protein in your diet from the foods mentioned above is a sure shot recipe. from disaster of your health & increasing risk of cardiovascular diseases & kidney diseases.  This is the reason a lot of body builders & those involved in building muscles die due to cardiac arrest.

As these foods get digested, certain bacterias( proteobacteria phylum) in our gut actually releases metabolite  trimethylamine(TMA), precursor to TMAO. There is a vicious circle, the more food rich in carnitine & choline we eat, the more these feasting microbes reproduce TMA. When our body absorbs TMA in our blood, it travels to our liver where it gets converted into TMAO. TMAO once formed can cause disaster in our body by promoting inflammation & changing how we metabolise cholesterol, even leading to development of plague ( all factors of increasing risk of cardiovascular diseases). Eventually, it passed to the kidney to be excreted as urine. As levels of TMAO climb, they can include kidney fibrosis, leading to  scar tissue formation within the organ.As level of kidney fibrosis increases, kidney function deteriorates leading to chronic kidney disease.

Considering the role of TMA microbes( produced by gut) in production of TMAO compounds, gut bacteria can play an beneficial role in improving heart health & overcoming cardiovascular diseases. Dietary intervention is a sureshor solution to change impact of gut microbes in production of TMA. A diet with no or minimal animal protein( & fats) reduces the level of these microbes & even eliminates them from microbiome. Without these microbes, your gut does not produce TMA & subsequently TMAO at all. However, if the same groups continued their diet & took carnitine supplements , TMAO production level will rise

Given the fact that how unique every individual is, it is not right to give a recommendation that is standardised. Even if eliminating TMAO can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, who can say with certainty that an animal free diet is the best bet for you. There is so much to understand about various microbial communities impacting our health. By signing up for our UP THE GUT solution, you can learn what is your TMAO level & how a personalised dietary intervention can reduce/eliminate risk of cardiovascular diseases. Begin your disease free journey here.