Your Gut Microbiome May Influence Your Heart Health (and Everything Else) – Here’s How to Take Care of It

Contributed by Ryan Peterson.

If you’re anything like most people, you’ve likely got a lot of respect for the health of your heart. And rightly so. When your heart is functioning optimally, everything in your life is simply better. Your mood will be better, you will be better able to perform strenuous physical activity, without as much stress, you’ll be healthier across the board, and – perhaps most importantly – you can expect to live significantly longer.

When people think about guarding their cardiovascular health, they generally think about things like eating wholegrain cereal, and getting plenty of time in on the treadmill or exercise bike.

All of these things are great, but have you ever stopped to consider how your gut microbiome may influence your heart health – and for that matter, every other facet of your health, in general?

For a long time, gut health was considered to be something that only really had implications for your physical comfort. Things like irritable bowel disorder were obviously noted to be unpleasant, but not much was understood beyond that.

Recent findings, however, – as detailed in Tim Spector’s book “The Diet Myth” have blown the lid off previous assumptions, and have driven home just how important gut health is, and why a trip to a GI doctor might be a great idea.

So, here are some tips for taking care of your gut microbiome.