If you go to the doctor for high cholesterol, they probably won’t check your levels of S. isoflavoniconvertens bacteria in your gut. 🧬🤷♀️ Should they?
In a recent study, researchers in South Korea discovered that your gut microbes might determine how healthy your heart is.
People with coronary artery disease (CAD) – the build-up of plaque that narrows the arteries – showed a distinctly different gut microbiome than healthy adults. This could change how cardiologists think about heart health, and it could even change how we approach healthy aging.
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One of these guts is not like the other
In a disease that claims the lives of nearly 18 million people annually, there’s only so much we know about the root cause. That’s especially true when it comes to the gut's role in the onset or progression of disease. ⚠️🌍 Some things we know:
Probiotics reduce systemic inflammation and may improve heart failure.
A diet that favors whole foods and fiber can reduce inflammation, cholesterol, and other risk factors for heart disease.
But what does the microbiome actually look like in people who already have heart disease? 🫀 Could knowing this help us better understand how to protect our guts–and our hearts–in the long run?
🔬 Using shotgun metagenomics, researchers took fecal samples from patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and healthy adults. This helped them see what microbes were present and how they function.
Both healthy adults and CAD patients actually had really similar guts. As in a similar number of 505 bacterial species!
And yet… something was clearly different about the guts of people with CAD. People with heart disease showed strikingly different levels of 15 bacterial species, including heart-healthy microbes like S. isoflavoniconvertens and P. copri.
Specifically, patients with heart disease had far fewer strains of bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFA).
Why SCFAs Matter
SCFAs are fat molecules that protect the gut and serve as the main energy source for the cells lining your gut. According to ZOE, about 10% of your energy comes from these fatty acids. ⚡
⏳🔥 SCFAs protect longevity and health by slowing inflamm-aging, the low-grade chronic inflammation that accelerates biological aging. This also defends against the development of age-related disease, write authors in The Journal of Functional Foods.
But in people with CAD, there is a notably lower abundance of an SCFA-producing bacterium. One is called F. prausnitzii, and its low numbers might not be a coincidence. It’s one of our gut’s most cardioprotective species. SCFAs are closely linked to our metabolism, too, and are an indicator of long-term heart health.💓
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Metabolic mayhem
The gut has many functions, and one of them is to produce metabolites: tiny chemical byproducts of metabolism that give your cells energy.
🚫🫀 Metabolites can be helpful, or harmful–just like bacteria. In the context of the gut-heart connection, troublemaker metabolites like TMAO contribute to the build-up of cholesterol and formation of plaque, increasing the risk of heart disease.
Other metabolites, such as inosine, can also indicate an underlying problem. Some of them are triggered by the accumulation of dead cells or cellular stress and serve as important signals of underlying inflammation. ⚠️
🔥 It may come as no surprise that these metabolites also influence metabolism, with gut imbalances disrupting how your body processes sugar and clears waste! If metabolism becomes inefficient at making energy, the risk for diabetes, stroke, and heart disease goes up.
The complexity of good vs. bad bacteria
Based on this research, we’re learning the gut microbiome does not just have "good bugs” or “bad bugs."
At least not all the time.
The probiotic Akkermansia is celebrated for its role in boosting metabolism and improving insulin function, but certain strains might actually increase inflammation in people with heart disease, according to the study.
These strains can produce an inflammatory substance called trimethylamine (TMA), a compound linked to plaque buildup and atherosclerosis.
And as study author Han-Na Kim, PhD, tells Medical News Today: “Bacteria of the same species can behave very differently depending on the host’s health condition.“
What does this ultimately mean? Every microbiome is completely individual. And its effects on inflammation, metabolism, and aging might be just as unique.
Why this matters for longevity
For your heart, tend to the garden in your gut.
Imagine taking a test of your gut microbiome flora that could determine your risk of cardiovascular disease? Or what about a hyper-individualized probiotic, one that feeds both your body’s ‘good’ bacteria and boosts heart health?
In longevity, this research could incentivize new methods to prevent and treat the largest threat to global lifespan. 🌍 It also suggests a bigger shift toward precision and preventative medicine.
The promise is there, but the practicality and accessibility of these tools are not yet.
Not all instances of heart disease are derived in the gut, nor affect everyone’s gut in the same way. This study also used such a small number of people from a particular area of the world, so the research might not translate to everyone. 🌐
What you can do today 💪🌿
80% of heart disease may be preventable through lifestyle. Although stool tests are not approved to assess heart disease risk, nurturing your gut microbiome through small, meaningful lifestyle shifts can significantly reduce your risk and promote longevity.
🫐 Eat for your microbes: A fiber-rich, polyphenol-packed diet (think berries, leafy greens, legumes, olive oil) feeds SCFA-producing bacteria.
🏃♀️ Move more: Exercise improves gut microbial diversity, reduces inflammation, and boosts circulation, which is a triple win for longevity.
🧐 Consider probiotics carefully: Not all probiotics are created equal. Choose clinically-studied strains and track how your body feels.
🧘♀️ Manage stress: Chronic stress increases cortisol and inflammation, which affects both the gut and heart. Meditation and journaling are evidence-based ways to manage stress.
🧪 Stool test: It can’t assess heart risk, but it can show the composition of your gut microbiome, which can guide microbiome optimization strategies.
💆♀️ Massage! Five minutes of daily abdominal massage has been linked to fewer IBS symptoms, while full-body massage can reduce blood pressure and boost heart health.
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The information provided about wellness and health is for general informational and educational purposes only. We are not licensed medical professionals, and the content here should not be considered medical advice. Talk to a doctor before trying any of these suggestions.
