The gut microbiome is an ecosystem of microbiota (microscopic organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi) in the intestine or gut. There are trillions of microbiota living in our guts. During disease or under unfavorable conditions, harmful bacteria in our digestive tract overgrow, and a balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria is lost. This is a condition known as “gut dysbiosis.” Good bacteria help with digestive and immune functions, while the bad ones can cause heart disease, stomach ulcers, gastric cancer and even paralysis.

Importance of personalized medicine

Scientists have found that gut microbiota plays a vital role in blood pressure regulation. We all have different lifestyles, diets and medication histories. Based on that, the gut microbiota profile varies from person to person. Giving everyone the same medications isn’t ideal because some drugs might not work for some people and they still may have risks of having a stroke or developing heart disease. So, it is essential to access each person’s individual gut microbiota profile to design targeted therapeutics that can be more effective in lowering high blood pressure (hypertension).

You may wonder why this is important.

By the numbers

The World Health Organization estimates that more than a billion adults around the world have high blood pressure. If not controlled, high blood pressure poses a significant risk for developing heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and other conditions.

How gut microbiota affects health

Scientists have studied the gut microbiome extensively and found a number of factors contribute to how it affects our health.

• Gut microbiota produces chemicals that regulate blood pressure.
• Recent clinical evidence has also shown that supplementation of specific short-chain fatty acids may lower blood pressure in some people.
• Taking prebiotics (good food for bacteria to grow) and probiotics (live microorganisms taken as a supplement) can help restore helpful microbiota and lower blood pressure.
• A healthy gut microbiome may also make blood pressure medication work better.
• Microbiota can be engineered to produce products such as angiotensin converting enzyme 2, that can lower high blood pressure

Some argue that dietary changes and medications are enough to lower high blood pressure, making gut microbiota intervention unnecessary. While these factors are undeniably important, designing personalized therapies for people living with high blood pressure is too.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care is growing rapidly due to its ability to improve diagnostics and develop personalized treatment plans. Training the AI models with gut microbiome, genetic and clinical data can drive the synergistic advancement of personalized medicine for the management of high blood pressure.