How dietary fiber and gut bacteria protect the cardiovascular system

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-12/mdcf-hdf121318.php

Public Release: 21-Dec-2018
Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association

The fatty acid propionate helps defend against the effects of high blood pressure, including atherosclerosis and heart tissue remodeling, a study on mice has found. Gut bacteria produce the substance - which calms the immune cells that drive up blood pressure - from natural dietary fiber.

"You are what you eat," as the proverb goes. But to a large extent our well-being also depends on what bacterial guests in our digestive tract consume. That's because gut flora help the human body to utilize food and produce essential micronutrients, including vitamins.

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