Prebiotic diet could help regulate blood pressure: research

GOOD bacteria in the gut may help regulate blood pressure, a finding by Melbourne researchers that is offering hope to a quarter of all Victorians suffering uncontrolled hypertension.

GOOD bacteria in the gut may help regulate blood pressure.

It’s a finding by Melbourne researchers that is offering hope to a quarter of all Victorians with uncontrolled hypertension to gain control of the disease by changing their diet, and consequently the composition of their gut microbes.

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The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute is now planning to test the combination of a high-fibre “prebiotic” diet in hypertensive patients not yet taking blood pressure-lowering medication, following successful studies in animals.

Group leader of Baker’s heart failure research Dr Francine Marques said hypertension was the No. 1 risk factor for death, and was involved in stroke, heart disease and dementia.

Diet changes could help a quarter of Victorians, who suffer from hypertension.

“It’s a very difficult disease to treat because most people with high blood pressure will have no symptoms, so they don’t want to take medication,” Dr Marques said.

“They don’t realise having high pressure for years or decades damages the heart and kidneys. If you think about the arteries in the heart and other organs being like a pipe — if you increase the pressure too much, it usually bursts.”

While a diet high in fruit and vegetables is linked to reduced blood pressure and lower risk of heart disease death, there is emerging evidence gut bacteria can influence blood pressure.

With colleagues from Mon­ash University, Dr Marques compared the effects of a standard diet, high-fibre diet and an acetate supplement — which is naturally produced by gut ­microbes as a by-product of fibre digestion — over several weeks in hypertensive mice.

The study, in Circulation, found both the supplement and high-fibre diet decreased gut microbiome imbalance, reduced blood pressure, and improved heart and kidney function, all factors that help protect against heart disease.

prebiotic jpg for web story

“When we have high-fibre diets composed of resistant starches, they reach the gut highly undigested. The bacteria eats that,” Dr Marques said.

“The substances the bacteria release as part of this fermentation are beneficial for us. By feeding bacteria the right types of food, we can select which bacteria grow in our gut.”

In a paper published in the Nature Reviews Cardiology, Dr Marques and her colleagues wrote the gut was giving a “new perspective on human disease”, and further strengthened the importance of diet and lifestyle changes to improve heart health.

“I don’t think we’re going to identify one bacteria that will lower blood pressure,” Dr Marques said.

“We need to identify the community of bacteria. That’s the way we’re going to have personalised gut therapies.”

The Baker Institute is recruiting people with hypertension, who are not on medic­ation, for a study to map gut microbes in hypertension.

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TIPS FOR GOOD GUT HEALTH

• The gut microbiome contains about 100 trillion different bacteria across about 5000 species. But we have names for only 150.

• Our gut contains 80 per cent of our immune system.

• Get the minimum amount of daily fibre — 25g for women and 30g for men — but introduce slowly to avoid discomfort.

• Reduce your intake of sugary and processed foods and emulsifiers. Prepare more meals from scratch.

• Minimise the use of antibiotics where possible and in consultation with your doctor.

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