Positive Health Online

The way to your heart is through your stomach. And now, even cardiologists agree! Bacteria is vital for heart health, because your gut flora works on the food you eat. The compatibility of certain foods and the make-up of your gut microbial ecology can result in different levels of risks of heart diseases.

Probiotics are great in aiding the gut flora in combating certain conditions.

• Mood, psychological health, and behaviour;
• Celiac disease;
• Diabetes;
• Weight gain and obesity;
• Metabolic syndrome;

probiotic-bacteria

Your gut microbes take care of 80% of your immune system. Your body has 100 trillion bacteria (10x the cells in your body). They perform a number of essential functions to keep your body healthy. These essential functions are:

• Protection against over-growth of bad bacteria;
• Digestion of food and absorption of nutrients;
• Producing vitamins, absorbing minerals and eliminating toxins;
• Preventing allergies;
• Maintaining natural defences.

Dr Metchnikoff in his Laboratory. Over a century ago, Elie Metchnikoff theorized that health could be enhanced
and senility delayed by manipulating the intestinal microbiome with host-friendly bacteria found in yogurt.
Front Public Health. 2013; 1: 52.

Probiotics are great in aiding the gut flora in combating certain conditions. Here are some 6 conditions probiotics can help fix:

1. Congestive Heart Failure
   Congestive heart failure is the result of a weak, energy-less heart that fails to pump. Probiotics can improve the heart’s ability to metabolize energy and utilize oxygen. It also helps regulate your heartbeat and strengthens the heart to pump efficiently. Studies conducted on people with congestive heart failure when given probiotics, showed stark improvement in heart function.
2. High levels of Cholesterol
   High blood cholesterol is a major cause for heart diseases. The first use of probiotics in lowering blood cholesterol is dated back to the 1960s in Kenya. The consumption of Lactobacillus bacteria showed significant drops in cholesterol. Probiotic lactobacillus species is qualified to reduce insulin resistance and blood sugar. Two major risks of heart diseases. L. Reuteri, a probiotic supplement is believed to possess a mechanism that lowers blood cholesterol and cardiovascular risk.
3. Producing Vitamins, Absorbing Minerals and Eliminating Toxins
   There are many bacteria inside your gut but they are not successful in producing all the needed vitamins. Probiotic supplements finish theses jobs by helping in producing:
      a. Vitamin k, needed for blood clotting;
      b. Biotin, needed for assistance in metabolism activities;
      c.  Vitamin B12, which matures red blood cells.
   Minerals need to be efficiently absorbed by the body. The deficiency of minerals can cause anaemia, osteoporosis, etc. Studies indicate that probiotics also eliminate toxins from our body to which we are regularly exposed. For example, Bisphenol, found in paper currency.
4. Blood Pressure
   Yogurt should be consumed on a regular basis. It is one of the most commonly known probiotic supplements that lower your blood pressure. High blood pressure causes hypertension which leads to heart diseases and stroke. This results in tens and thousands of deaths each year solely in America. We can alleviate these risks by regular consumption of probiotic supplements.
5. Diabetes Mellitus
   Administration of probiotics may improve the prognosis of diabetes through the help they offer to your gut bacteria. Evidence shows the reduction of inflammatory response and oxidative stress with the use of probiotics. It also shows increase in insulin sensitivity and reduction in autoimmune response. Probiotics that contain healthy live microorganisms also influence the circulation of endotoxin levels and reduce the systemic inflammatory state.
6. Obesity
   Almost 35% of the U.S. population has been diagnosed with obesity. Probiotic supplements bring about the good bacteria, which assist your gut carefully through metabolism, reducing the chances of obesity and the following risk of heart diseases.

Future Hopes for Heart Health

The future of cardiac health largely depends upon the decision that the human society makes about their gut health, or so it seems. Scientists are still a long way from telling you which particular product would guarantee a particular improvement or prevention in health; so, in the meanwhile, making sure that probiotics are a regular part of your daily life is not only a great idea, but also a health smart idea.