Heart failure is a serious condition that affects millions of people around the world. It occurs when the heart becomes too weak or stiff to pump blood effectively through the body. As a result, organs and tissues do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients.
People living with heart failure often experience symptoms such as tiredness, shortness of breath, and swelling in the legs or feet. Because the condition can worsen over time, many patients are repeatedly admitted to hospital for treatment.
A new study led by researchers at the University of Leicester suggests that gut health may play a surprisingly important role in the outlook for people with heart failure.
The research, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, found that people with signs of poor gut health had a higher risk of dying early or being hospitalized again after treatment for heart failure.
The findings suggest that the microbes living in the human gut may influence heart health more strongly than doctors once believed.
Inside the digestive system lives a large community of bacteria and other tiny organisms known as the gut microbiome. Some of these microbes are beneficial and help the body digest food, produce vitamins, and support the immune system.
Others can contribute to inflammation and disease. The balance between these helpful and harmful microbes can be influenced by many factors, including diet, lifestyle, and health conditions.
In recent years, scientists have started to explore how gut microbes may affect organs beyond the digestive system. Research suggests that certain gut bacteria can produce chemicals that travel through the bloodstream and influence inflammation, metabolism, and even heart health.
In the new study, researchers examined whether signs of poor gut health could help predict outcomes for patients with heart failure.
The team analyzed data from 2,071 people with heart failure. Some of the patients had been treated for acute heart failure at University Hospitals in Leicester in the United Kingdom. Another group of patients came from hospitals across 12 different European countries. All of the participants were monitored for 12 months after they were admitted to hospital with heart failure.
During this time, the researchers tracked whether patients were readmitted to hospital or died from any cause.
The scientists also measured several chemicals in the patients’ blood that are linked to gut microbes. Two of the key chemicals they studied were gamma-butyrobetaine and acetyl-L-carnitine. These substances are produced when gut bacteria break down nutrients from certain foods, particularly foods common in a Western-style diet that is high in red meat and eggs.
Higher levels of these chemicals may indicate that certain types of gut microbes are more active in the body.
The researchers found that patients with higher levels of these gut-related chemicals were more likely to experience poor outcomes. Specifically, people who showed signs of an unhealthy gut had about an 8% higher risk of dying or being readmitted to hospital within one year after their initial hospital stay.
Overall, poor gut health appeared to increase the risk of death or hospitalization by almost 10% among heart failure patients.
To better understand these risks, the researchers developed a prediction tool, or algorithm, that included gut microbiome markers along with other important health factors. The algorithm used 11 different pieces of information to estimate a patient’s risk level.
These factors included age, whether the patient had other health conditions such as diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the medications they were taking, how severe their heart failure was, and how many times they had previously been hospitalized for heart failure.
Doctors already use similar risk calculators to guide treatment decisions for heart failure patients. However, these traditional tools usually do not include information about gut microbes.
The new algorithm was able to classify patients into high-risk, intermediate-risk, or low-risk groups. The researchers found that the predictions made by their tool were highly accurate.
One striking finding was the difference in survival rates between these groups. Patients who were categorized as low risk had survival rates that were about twice as high as those in the high-risk group.
Another advantage of the new tool is that it can predict outcomes over a longer period of time. Many current risk calculators only estimate a patient’s risk for about 30 days after hospital admission. In contrast, the new algorithm can estimate risk for up to one year.
This longer prediction window could help doctors plan treatment and follow-up care more effectively.
Professor Toru Suzuki, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Leicester and leader of the study, said the findings highlight the powerful influence the gut microbiome may have on heart health.
He explained that the research provides further evidence that gut microbes can affect cardiovascular disease and may help doctors better identify which patients are most at risk.
Suzuki and his team hope that the new risk calculator could eventually be included in medical guidelines for managing heart failure. If adopted widely, it could help doctors identify patients who need closer monitoring or more intensive treatment.
Experts also say the findings raise an interesting possibility: improving gut health might help improve outcomes for heart failure patients.
Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, noted that research is increasingly pointing to a connection between gut health and heart health. This study examined whether measuring gut health markers could help doctors predict how patients with heart failure might fare.
He added that the study also raises an intriguing question about whether improving gut health could potentially help people living with heart failure. However, more research will be needed before doctors can recommend specific treatments targeting the gut microbiome.
The study also reinforces the importance of diet. Foods that support healthy gut bacteria, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber-rich foods, may help maintain a healthier gut environment. These dietary choices may offer benefits beyond weight control and cholesterol management.
In the future, scientists hope that understanding the relationship between gut microbes and heart disease may open new ways to treat or prevent cardiovascular problems.
For now, the research offers an important reminder that the body’s systems are deeply connected. The health of the gut may influence much more than digestion—it may also play a role in how well the heart functions and how patients recover from serious conditions like heart failure.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer, and results showing strawberries could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
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