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In the past few years, medical scientists have developed a huge interest in the composition and health effects of a specific substance in your stomach and intestines.<\/p>\nIn the past few years, medical scientists have developed a huge interest in the composition and health effects of a specific substance in your stomach and intestines.<\/p>\n
The widespread advertising of food products that contain their building blocks shows a huge interest in marketing it for nutrition.<\/p>\n
And it all stems from how this nutrient-helper addresses the gut\u2019s ability to produce beneficial fatty acids that destroy high blood pressure, just by eating the right kinds of food.<\/p>\n
After noticing the amount of research that suggests that short-chain fatty acids may be able to lower blood pressure, a team of Australian researchers wondered whether it would be possible to stimulate our bodies to produce more of these fats.<\/p>\n
An obvious way to do this came to mind.<\/p>\n
When certain types of bacteria come into contact with non-digestible carbohydrates, they ferment these carbs. During this process, short-chain fatty acids are released as a byproduct.<\/p>\n
The two most common bacteria in your intestines, firmicutes and bacteroidetes, can both produce short-chain fatty acids when they get hold of these carbs.<\/p>\n
The only problem is that the common unhealthy Western diet tends to cause an overabundance of firmicutes at the expense of bacteroidetes, while the fats released by bacteroidetes (short-chain fatty acid acetate) may actually be better at regulating blood pressure.<\/p>\n
In the study, Australian researchers worked to do two things:<\/p>\n
1. Reduce the amount of firmicutes relative to bacteroidetes.<\/p>\n
2. Test whether the resulting increase of short-chain fatty acid acetate helps to control blood pressure.<\/p>\n
They split mice into three groups: one that received a high-fiber diet, one that received a short-chain fatty acid acetate supplement, and one that received neither.<\/p>\n
The groups that received the high-fiber diet and the short-chain fatty acid acetate supplement showed a re-balancing of their gut bacteria.<\/p>\n
The results? A clear decline in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, while the blood pressure of those on the normal diet remained the same.<\/p>\n
Their heart muscles also remained thin and flexible. Thickened heart muscles usually lead to heart failure.<\/p>\n