Cardiovascular diseases involve all aspects of the circulatory system, and generally refer to ischemic or hemorrhagic diseases of the heart and body tissues caused by hyperlipidemia, blood viscosity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, etc. The mortality rate of this disease accounts for 40% of residents' disease deaths. Among them, atherosclerosis is the main pathological basis of ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. So far, the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is not completely clear, and there are many theories involving hyperlipidemia, hypertension, hyperglycemia (diabetes), hyperfibrinogenemia, homocystinemia, There are nearly 20 possible risk factors such as hyperuricemia, obesity, and inflammation, and there is a lack of effective clinical prevention and treatment drugs.
At present, everyone's understanding of probiotics is limited to dairy products or intestinal regulation effects, and little is known about the effects of probiotics on lowering cholesterol, preventing myocardial cell apoptosis, lowering blood sugar, and lowering blood pressure.
Probiotics and cardiovascular disease
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease include obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, etc. Probiotic intervention can be used to reduce and prevent cardiovascular risk factors related to metabolic syndrome.
Obese people have fewer Bacteroidetes and more Firmicutes. After weight loss, the number of Bacteroidetes increases and the number of Firmicutes decreases, indicating that obesity is related to intestinal flora; probiotics can not only restore intestinal flora Balanced, it is also an effective supplement for existing insulin resistance treatments. It has been reported that feeding probiotic soybeans containing 108 strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei delayed glucose intolerance and high blood pressure in fructose-induced type 2 diabetic rats. The occurrence of blood sugar, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia and oxidative stress; the fermentation product of probiotics, casein, can be hydrolyzed to produce tripeptide substances (valerian-pro-pro or isoleuc-pro-pro) to inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme , thereby achieving the purpose of lowering blood pressure.
Probiotics convert tea polyphenols to reduce atherosclerosis
There is growing interest in the impact of dietary polyphenols on the gut microbiota and the possible association between this impact and the development of some cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. Tea polyphenols include catechins, flavonoids, flavonols, anthocyanins and phenolic acids. Studies have shown that these substances can effectively reduce the area of atherosclerotic plaques and combat coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia and hypertension.
In recent years, more and more correlations have been found between metabolic diseases and intestinal flora. However, there is no sufficient research on the relationship between dietary polyphenols, intestinal flora and atherosclerosis. By studying the relationship between tea polyphenols, atherosclerosis and probiotics, we found that tea polyphenols can significantly promote the growth and reproduction of probiotics and prevent adipocyte hypertrophy induced by high-fat diet in a dose-dependent manner. Delays diet-induced weight gain/body fat gain; in addition, probiotics can attenuate atherosclerotic plaques.
Probiotics lower blood cholesterol
Probiotics can secrete acidic substances to inhibit the production of cholesterol: Probiotics growing in the lower intestine can not only digest water-soluble dietary fiber, but also secrete acidic substances. The propionic acid secreted by some of these probiotics can reduce the liver's ability to synthesize cholesterol. As the liver synthesizes less cholesterol, the cholesterol level in the blood will naturally decrease.
Break down bile acids: Some probiotics have the ability to break down bile acids, which play an important role in fat metabolism. Bile acids are obtained from cholesterol synthesized by the liver through a series of changes. After synthesis, they are excreted into the intestine through a specific channel. Normally, the liver recycles excess bile acids through the enterohepatic cycle and reuses them. But if bile acids are decomposed by bacteria in the intestine, there is no possibility of recycling them. This will inevitably force the liver to use cholesterol in the blood to produce enough bile acids, so the cholesterol content will naturally decrease. .