Probiotics are naturally occurring microorganisms that originate in the gut and are widely understood to be good for digestion and certain other health factors. They exist abundantly in yogurt, milk, and cheese that has fermented, and may also be found in certain dietary supplements. Recently, it has been discovered one of the benefits of probiotics may also lower diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Researchers are studying the relationship between probiotics and high blood pressure for treatment, as well as preventive medicine.
Dr. Jing Sun, senior lecturer and lead author at Griffith University, Australia, and his partners looked at information collected from nine different clinical studies. Collectively, these studies included 543 adults. Some of these individuals have normal blood pressure, while others presented with elevated blood pressure.
Over a period of eight weeks, the results were tallied and became clear after the completion of the period. Consuming probiotics proved to lower systolic blood pressure by an average of 3.56 mmHg. As for diastolic blood pressure, this lowered by on average 2.39 mmHg.
Those probiotics which proved to be most effective in dealing with blood pressure contained a daily bacteria volume of 10 billion to 1 trillion colony-forming units or CFUs. If the participants did not consume enough CFUs there were no effects on blood pressure. Probiotics that had multiple bacteria were more effective when compared with probiotics that only contained one bacterial strain.
According to the authors of the study, the meta-analysis indicated that probiotic consumption could help improve blood pressure by at least a modest degree which indicates a strong link in probiotics and high blood pressure. It may have even greater consequences when the baseline blood pressure has been elevated. The study showed that the positive effects of the probiotics were greatest in people whose blood pressure levels were at least 130/80, which is considered to be elevated. Currently, however, there are not enough studies for doctors to recommend probiotics as a means of controlling and preventing high blood pressure, but implementing yogurt certainly into the diets of those with this condition certainly can be beneficial in other ways.
There are many benefits of probiotics to other aspects of health, like improving cholesterol, helping to reduce insulin resistance and blood glucose, and improving low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol. Probiotics also help the body regulate the hormone system, which is partly responsible for blood pressure, as well as fluid balance, all of which could factor into why probiotics influence blood pressure.
Probiotics are primarily known as a digestive aid and have been used in order to deal with many digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome. This is because bacteria are hard at work in the gut helping to break down foods properly. Antibiotics commonly cause intestinal issues because they are designed to target all forms of bacteria, even the helpful bacteria in the gut.
What is commonly unknown is probiotics and high blood pressure are linked. Probiotics do more than help to digest food. They also have benefits in the areas of urinary health, allergies, women's health, obesity, and immunological conditions. These microorganisms perform numerous functions within the body to help it function at its best. Just as it is important to have a healthy supply of vitamins, minerals, and other compounds, it is also important to maintain healthy levels of probiotics.
Individuals suffering from adrenal fatigue are always on the lookout for solutions to relieve their condition. Adrenal exhaustion isn't fun and it creates various imbalances within the body which lead to a multitude of other health problems. It isn't easy or pleasant to live with fatigue, irritability, depression, brain fog, and the range of other symptoms and signs associated with this condition.
The good news is that the adrenal glands can be healed. The body is made to rejuvenate and restore itself, and with the right lifestyle changes, diet, and dietary supplements, the adrenal glands are supported and return the body to its proper hormonal balance.
While high blood pressure is normally not a problem in adrenal fatigue, probiotics can still play vital parts in recovery by way of improving the gut microbiome and gastrointestinal health, both of which are key determinants of the inflammatory response in the body. The link between probiotics and high blood pressure is evident when we look at completed studies.
Some studies have even suggested that probiotics may be able to help lower individuals’ stress levels. Mice that were given probiotics experienced a reduced reaction to stress, in addition to reduced levels of stress hormones. The explanation behind this is that the gut, colloquially known as the “second brain”, produces many neurotransmitters. A healthy gut biome will promote a healthy balance of calming neurotransmitters to relay messages back to the brain. Furthermore, the gut produces many B vitamins, which are vital in reducing stress in the body. Therefore, displaying probiotics and high blood pressure are correlated and can impact overall health to a degree.
Anyone who is suffering from adrenal fatigue should know that stress, whether physical or emotional, is generally the root cause of the condition, as stress forces the adrenal glands to produce stress hormones, at such a rate and for such an extended period of time, that the adrenal glands become exhausted. Finding effective means to manage stress is part of healing the adrenal glands.
On top of helping relieve stress in the body, probiotics play a major role in reducing inflammation in the body as well. This is seldom recognized as an important contribution and therefore should be emphasized. Specifically, the microbiome in your gut has a big part to play in regulating the immune system; inflammation in your body is an immune response. By helping to balance the immune system in the body, gut bacteria are helping to regulate and reduce inflammation in the body. Probiotics help mediate your gut bacteria, thereby promoting a healthy immune system and thus reducing inflammation.
There are other ways in which probiotics may be able to help in the healing of the adrenal glands. One of their primary roles is to enable to the body to extract more nutrients out of its food. This naturally allows a person's body to retain and receive more of the vitamins and minerals it needs, rather than passing them as waste because they aren't being absorbed. When you can get the most out of your diet, these important, healthy compounds, vitamins, and minerals do their work in healing the body and helping it to function.
This also affects the adrenal glands, which benefit from the nourishment of these elements. This way, probiotics strengthen the immune system, and the immune system helps to protect the adrenal glands. A strong defense against illness gives the glands time to heal, rather than becoming weaker trying to fight off a virus or infection, ultimately leading to improved adrenal health.
