High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects approximately 40% of adults globally, posing a significant risk for cardiovascular disease and other health problems.
Recent research has suggested that probiotics might have a protective effect against hypertension, but the exact mechanisms behind how these probiotics influence blood pressure regulation are not well understood.
A new study published in mSystems introduces two probiotic strains, Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, as potential contributors to lower blood pressure levels.
Probiotics and Hypertension
In experiments conducted on hypertensive mice, the administration of these two probiotics led to a normalization of blood pressure levels.
Researchers also examined how these probiotics impacted the composition of the gut microbiota in the mice over a 16-week period, identifying specific microbial changes and metabolic pathways that may explain the observed protective effect.
Jun Li, Ph.D., a computational biologist at the City University of Hong Kong, explained that existing evidence supports the potential antihypertensive effects of probiotics in both laboratory and animal experiments.
This study aimed to investigate if incorporating probiotic-rich foods into one’s diet could complement traditional hypertension treatments.
Previous research has linked the global rise in hypertension to increased sugar consumption.
Sugar can affect blood pressure through various mechanisms, including insulin resistance and salt retention. Recent investigations have also explored sugar’s impact on the gut microbiome.
Study Methodology
In this study, researchers tested the two probiotic strains on mice that had developed high blood pressure due to the consumption of fructose-containing water.
Over the course of 16 weeks, the researchers monitored the blood pressure of these mice every four weeks.
The results showed that mice with high fructose intake who received either of the probiotics exhibited significantly lower blood pressure compared to those on a high fructose diet without probiotic treatment.
Importantly, there was no significant difference in blood pressure readings between the fructose-fed mice that received probiotics and a control group of mice that consumed regular water.
This suggests that probiotic interventions could help maintain blood pressure at normal levels.
To understand the connection between altered gut microbiota and changes in blood pressure, the researchers employed shotgun metagenomic sequencing.
They discovered that a high-fructose diet led to an increase in Bacteroidetes bacteria and a decrease in Firmicutes bacteria in the mice’s gut. However, treatment with probiotics restored the microbial balance to levels similar to those in the control group.
Additionally, the analysis identified specific microbial signatures linked to blood pressure regulation. Higher levels of Lawsonia and Pyrolobus bacteria, along with reduced levels of Alistipes and Alloprevotella, were associated with lower blood pressure.
Future Clinical Trials
The researchers are now planning a large-scale clinical trial to determine whether the protective effect of probiotics extends to individuals with hypertension.
Zhihong Sun, Ph.D., a microbiologist at Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, emphasized the potential of probiotics in preventive medicine.
He believes they offer a promising avenue for regulating hypertension and reshaping approaches to cardiovascular health.
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The research findings can be found in mSystems.
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