Diverticulosis, a condition where small pouches form in the walls of the intestine, is especially common in older adults. Though often harmless, it can sometimes lead to serious complications and require emergency treatment. Now, new research suggests that a widely used type of blood pressure medication might increase the risk of this bowel condition.
High blood pressure is a global health concern, affecting roughly one in every ten adults. It raises the risk of serious illnesses like heart attacks and strokes. Doctors typically treat it using a combination of healthy lifestyle changes and medications. But like all medications, these drugs can have side effects—some of which may still be unknown.
To learn more, researchers at Imperial College London investigated three major types of blood pressure drugs: ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers. Although millions of people rely on these medications, there’s still much to learn about how they might affect other parts of the body.
The research team, led by Dr. Dipender Gill, used a clever approach called genetic analysis. Rather than studying the drugs directly, they looked at genes that mimic how the drugs work.
First, they pinpointed the proteins that these drugs target in the body. Then, using data from around 750,000 people, they searched for natural genetic variations in those proteins—variations that could hint at how the drugs affect health over time.
Their findings, published in the journal Circulation, revealed a potential concern. People who had gene variants mimicking the effects of one specific kind of calcium channel blocker—called non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers—were more likely to develop bowel conditions like diverticulosis.
This type of calcium channel blocker is used to help lower blood pressure by relaxing the muscles in the blood vessels. However, the study suggests that these drugs might also affect the muscles in the intestines, which are responsible for moving food through the digestive system. If those muscles don’t work properly, it could lead to problems like diverticulosis.
It’s important to note that this research doesn’t prove the medication directly causes the bowel condition. Instead, it highlights a possible link that needs further study. While the genetic data suggests a connection, more research is needed to confirm whether the medication itself is responsible and how this might happen in the body.
Dr. Gill and his team stressed that patients should not stop taking their blood pressure medication based on this study. High blood pressure is a serious condition that must be carefully managed, and the benefits of these medications still outweigh the potential risks for most people. If you have concerns about your medication, it’s best to talk to your doctor before making any changes.
This study marks an important step in understanding the full impact of medications commonly used to treat high blood pressure. It highlights how genetic research can help us uncover potential side effects that might otherwise go unnoticed in traditional clinical trials.
The link between non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers and bowel conditions like diverticulosis is intriguing. It raises questions about how these drugs may affect smooth muscle tissue beyond the heart and blood vessels.
Since the intestines rely on smooth muscle contractions to move waste through the body, any changes to this process could have unintended consequences.
Still, the findings should be interpreted with caution. The study used a genetic approach, which is a powerful tool but doesn’t replace real-world clinical trials. It’s also unclear how strong the risk is or how it compares to the benefits of using these medications for blood pressure control.
Going forward, researchers may focus on how to reduce this potential side effect while maintaining the drug’s effectiveness in lowering blood pressure. They may also look at whether other types of calcium channel blockers, such as dihydropyridines, carry the same risk.
In the meantime, patients should continue taking their prescribed medications and maintain regular check-ups with their healthcare providers. As with any treatment, it’s about finding the right balance between benefits and risks—something studies like this help doctors and researchers do better every day.
If you care about gut health, please read studies about how probiotics can protect gut health ,and Mycoprotein in diet may reduce risk of bowel cancer and improve gut health.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how food additives could affect gut health, and the best foods for gut health.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
