In a recent study, researchers found that drinking kefir may improve blood pressure levels.
This is because kefir could boost communication between the gut and brain.
The research was conducted by a team from Auburn University in Alabama and their collaborators.
Kefir is a fermented probiotic milk beverage known to help keep the balance of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system.
Previous research has shown that an imbalance in the gut microbiota may lead to high blood pressure in some people.
It also has shown that probiotics lower blood pressure. Probiotics are live bacteria supplements beneficial to the digestive system.
In the study, the team examined how kefir reduces high blood pressure in rats.
They found that after nine weeks of kefir supplementation, the treated rats had lower levels of toxic substances in cells, lower blood pressure and better intestinal permeability when compared with the untreated group.
The team explains that healthy gut allows some substances to pass through but generally act as a barrier to keep out harmful bacteria and other dangerous substances.
In addition, kefir supplementation could restore the natural balance of four different bacteria in the gut and of an enzyme in the brain essential for a normal nervous system function.
This suggests that the nervous and digestive systems can work together to reduce high blood pressure.
The study was presented at the American Physiological Society (APS) annual meeting.
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