07/08/2021
Hypertension can lead to serious consequences such as heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases.
Primarily, hypertension is due to the lack or reduced availability of ACE-inhibitory peptides. Probiotics have raised attention in the medical field due to their ability to produce ACE-inhibitor for their anti-hypertensive effects.
Probiotics are beneficial good bacteria that are part of our body. There are trillions of these beneficial bacteria in our digestive system (aka gut microbiota) that not only help digestion and uptake of nutrients but also protect our heart.
Probiotics create numerous biologically active peptides, including ACE-inhibitory peptides.
ACE-inhibitors block angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) from converting angiotensin I to potent vasoconstrictor angiotensin II. Consequently, it inhibits the production of aldosterone, a hormone that promotes the rise of serum sodium (Na) concentration, causing a surge in blood pressure and the breakdown of bradykinin, a hormone that has vasodilating action, influencing the decrease in blood pressure.
Changing lifestyle & food habits, the use of antibiotics, and stress are some of the reasons that reduce good bacteria in our gut. This reduced good bacteria in our gut are one of the primary reasons for the lack or reduced availability of ACE-inhibitor hence hypertension.
Regular consumption of probiotic-rich food help restores ACE inhibitor peptide and promotes a significant decrease in both measurements of mean arterial pressure and heart rate by improving baroreflex, and reducing cardiac hypertrophy.
