A disease of any sort is something that we all try to protect ourselves against. But did you ever think that your gut actually plays a huge part in the process of keeping your heart healthy? Studies now show that over the last several decades there has become an increasing association between our gut health and heart disease.
Heart disease can be caused by a number of factors including diets that are high in cholesterol and saturated fats. Although these two causes are something we should avoid, we need to keep in mind an endless amount of other aspects in order to lead a healthy lifestyle. For instance, our overall risk factor of getting a disease is a huge issue in terms of our well being.
An individual’s risk factor brings into play a wide spectrum of issues. One of these includes our levels of oxidative stress. Too much of this type of stress breaks down our cells and damages our tissues, leading to inflammation and plaque build-up. Other repercussions include a leaky gut lining which results in the release of endotoxins in our bloodstream. Endotoxins, or disease causing bacteria are pro-inflammatory and generate oxidative damage. Stress, over-eating, gut infections, physical trauma and food poisoning all can lead to a leaky gut.
To help reduce your risk for heart disease, it is important that you fuel up on healthy bacteria. Probiotics, or the supplemental form of healthy bacteria is very beneficial to you. Fermented foods also offer good bacteria that can help reduce inflammation and fight disease-causing microorganisms and soluble fiber help to nourish good bacteria within our intestinal tract.