Diverticulosis is a condition that affects the gut, which is the long tube in your body that helps digest food.
In this condition, small pouches form in the lining of the intestine. It’s more common in older people and can sometimes lead to serious health problems.
High blood pressure is another common condition that affects about one in ten adults around the world. If not managed, it can lead to serious issues like heart attacks or strokes. People with high blood pressure are usually advised to make healthy lifestyle changes and take medication to keep it under control.
Researchers from Imperial College London wanted to learn more about how three common types of blood pressure medicines affect the body. These medicines are called ACE-inhibitors, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers. Millions of people take them, but scientists are still discovering how these drugs work and what other effects they might have.
To explore this, the researchers used a method called genetic analysis. This means they looked at the DNA and other information from people’s cells to learn more about how these drugs interact with the body.
First, they figured out which proteins in the body these medicines target to lower blood pressure. Then they looked at genetic data from about 750,000 people to see if there were any other effects linked to these proteins.
They used information from a large study in the UK called the UK Biobank to see if there were connections between the drugs and other health conditions. What they found was unexpected. One type of calcium channel blocker, a common high blood pressure drug, was linked to a higher risk of gut problems like diverticulosis.
The researchers think this could be because the medicine affects the muscles in the gut that help move food through the digestive system. If those muscles don’t work as well, it might lead to the development of small pouches in the gut lining.
Even though this was a surprising discovery, the scientists stressed that people should not stop taking their blood pressure medicine because of it. The benefits of treating high blood pressure still far outweigh this possible risk.
The researchers also said that their findings don’t mean doctors should change how they prescribe these medicines. If anyone has concerns, they should talk to their doctor first.
This study was led by Dr. Dipender Gill and was published in the journal Circulation. It gives scientists new ideas about how to improve blood pressure treatment while also keeping an eye on possible side effects. In the future, this information might help doctors better understand how to manage both heart and gut health together.
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.
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