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Heart health: The role played by gut bacteria

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Heart health may be affected by certain gut bacteria, researchers say. lynnebeclu/Getty Images
  • Certain bacteria in the gut, especially some species of strep normally found in the mouth and digestive tract, may affect heart health.
  • In particular, researchers say, gut bacteria may be linked to a build-up of plaque that can lead to clogged arteries.
  • Experts say the new findings build on previous research that indicates a link between gut bacteria and cardiovascular health.

Some heart problems may begin in the mouth and gut, a new study suggests.

Atherosclerotic plaques — commonly known as clogged arteries — are deposits of fat, cholesterol, and other substances that are a major cause of heart attacks.

A higher occurrence of these plaques is associated with the presence of certain oral bacteria in the gut — particularly Streptococcus bacteria — according to Swedish researchers.

The study, led by researchers at Uppsala and Lund University and published in the journal Circulation, was based on an analysis of gut bacteria and cardiac imaging of 8,973 people aged 50 to 65 who did not have any previously known heart disease.

“We found that oral bacteria, especially species from the Streptococcus genus, are associated with increased occurrence of atherosclerotic plaques in the small arteries of the heart when present in the gut flora,” said Dr. Tove Fall, a study author and a professor of molecular epidemiology in the department of medical sciences and the SciLifeLab at Uppsala University, in a press statement.

 

Researchers used advanced imaging technology to detect early buildup of plaque in the heart’s blood vessels.

They combined the information with genetic sequencing data on a wide range of bacteria that inhabit the gut (including the mouth and throat).

In addition to the association between atherosclerotic plaque and Streptococcus anginosus, researchers also reported that Streptococcus oralis appeared to be related to plaque buildup.

Fatty deposits in the arteries were linked to levels of some species of Streptococcus in the mouth as well as in the gut, the researchers wrote.

“We have just started to understand how the human host and the bacterial community in the different compartments of the body affect each other,” said Dr. Marju Orho-Melander, a senior author of the study and a professor of genetic epidemiology at Lund University.

“Our study shows [altered] cardiovascular health in carriers of streptococci in their gut. We now need to investigate if these bacteria are important players in atherosclerosis development,” she said in a press statement.

 

“Emerging evidence suggests that alterations in the composition and function of the gut microbiota, often referred to as dysbiosis, may contribute to various health conditions, including cardiovascular diseases,” said Dr. Kezia Joy, an advisor for United Kingdom-based online healthcare provider Welzo who was not involved in the study.

“Studies have shown that certain gut bacteria can produce metabolites, such as trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), which have been implicated in the development and progression of atherosclerosis,” Joy told Medical News Today. “TMAO has been associated with increased inflammation, oxidative stress, and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Furthermore, the gut microbiota can influence various physiological processes, including lipid metabolism, inflammation, and immune responses, which are key factors in the development of cardiovascular diseases.”

“The strength of this study is that it’s a large cohort [of participants], the researchers have done a very careful analysis of them at an early stage of cardiovascular disease, and the use of biomarkers” to identify specific gut bacteria that may play a role in plaque formation, said Dr. Bina Joe, chair of the physiology and pharmacology department at the University of Toledo in Ohio and founding director of the school’s Center for Hypertension and Precision Medicine who was also not involved the study.

 

Joe, who has led previous research into associations between gut bacteria and high blood pressure, said the Swedish study is an important step forward in a field of research where more is suspected than proven about the relationship between bacteria and cardiovascular disease.

For example, dentists now advise flossing as a way to limit the accumulation of oral bacteria that seem to increase the risk of heart disease.

“We don’t know why, but it works,” Joe told Medical News Today.

Questions for future research include drilling down further on which specific bacteria affect cardiovascular illness and conducting longitudinal studies that could establish a causal link rather than an an association between gut flora and heart health, Joe said.

For example, she said, while strains of Streptococcus bacteria exist in both the mouth and gut, it’s unlikely that a single strain is responsible for plaque buildup, since bacteria that live in an oxygenated environment can’t survive in an anaerobic environment like the gut, and vice-versa.

“It’s not clear which species of Streptococcus [the researchers] are talking about,” said Joe. “In the end, it may not be a particular bacteria, but a whole population involved.”

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How many Nova Scotians are on the doctor wait-list? Number hit 160,000 in June

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September 11, 2024

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HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.

The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.

Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.

“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”

The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.

A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.

Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.

“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.

Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.

The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.

“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Newfoundland and Labrador monitoring rise in whooping cough cases: medical officer

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September 10, 2024

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ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.

Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.

Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.

The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.

“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.

Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.

Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.

Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.

A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Bizarre Sunlight Loophole Melts Belly Fat Fast!

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September 10, 2024

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