People are ‘meta-organisms,’ made up of about equal amounts of human and bacterial cells. The ecology of our gut bacteria interacts with our physiology and brains, which may lead to high blood pressure in some people.

People with high blood pressure had different bacteria in their guts than people with high blood pressure and depression, according to preliminary research.

“People are ‘meta-organisms’ made up of roughly equal numbers of human cells and bacteria. Gut bacteria ecology interacts with our bodily physiology and brains, which may steer some people towards developing high blood pressure and depression,” explains Bruce R. Stevens, lead author of the study.

“In the future, health professionals may target your gut in order to prevent, diagnose and selectively treat different forms of high blood pressure.”

According to Stevens, this study has the potential to find therapy methods that could help people with treatment-resistant hypertension improve their results. Even with various drugs, about 20% of people with high blood pressure do not react well to treatment.

The investigators isolated DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid, the genetic information carrier) from gut microbes extracted from 105 individuals’ feces samples. They analyzed the bacteria using a novel technique involving artificial intelligence software, which revealed four distinct types of bacterial genes and signature molecules.

Surprisingly, the researchers observed distinct bacterial patterns in patients with 1) high blood pressure and depression; 2) high blood pressure without depression; 3) depression with normal blood pressure; or 4) healthy subjects without depression or high blood pressure.

According to Stevens, the findings point to various medical causes of high blood pressure that are linked to characteristic chemicals produced by gut bacteria. The cardiovascular system, metabolism, hormones, and neurological system are all thought to be affected by these chemicals.

“We believe we have uncovered new forms of high blood pressure: ‘Depressive Hypertension’ (high blood pressure with depression), which may be a completely different disease than ‘Non-Depressive Hypertension’ (high blood pressure without depression), which are each different from ‘Non-Hypertensive Depression,'” Stevens added.

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