New Link Revealed Between Hypertension and Gut Health

New Link Revealed Between Hypertension and Gut Health

30 January 2025

Groundbreaking research has unveiled a significant connection between gut health and hypertension, opening new doors for the development of more specialized blood pressure treatments.

A team of international researchers from Australia, China, and Singapore, led by the Hypertension Research Laboratory at Monash University’s School of Biological Sciences, has identified how diet and gut function influence high blood pressure. Professor Francine Marques, the project lead, emphasizes the importance of these findings for the one in three Australians affected by hypertension—a major risk factor for stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease.

“We had evidence that dietary fibre, through the production of gut microbial substances known as short-chain fatty acids, helps reduce blood pressure,” Professor Marques explained. “However, the exact communication pathway between the gut and host remained unclear.”

Key Discoveries: The Role of GPR41 and GPR43 Receptors

The study highlights two crucial protein receptors, GPR41 and GPR43, found in intestinal cells. These receptors are activated by short-chain fatty acids derived from dietary fibre, initiating anti-inflammatory mechanisms that may help lower blood pressure.

“These receptors belong to the largest group of cell membrane receptors—G-protein coupled receptors—which activate cellular signalling processes,” Professor Marques stated. “They are especially abundant in immune cells and the intestinal lining, and their activation can reduce inflammation.”

The Importance of a High-Fibre Diet

Dietary fibre is essential as it undergoes fermentation in the gut, producing short-chain fatty acids that engage these receptors. Fibre-rich foods include legumes, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, resistant starches (such as oats and potatoes), and seeds. However, a major concern highlighted by the research is that most Australians fail to consume adequate amounts of fibre.

The study, published in Circulation Research, underscores the impact of gut permeability—or how much the gut lining allows substances to pass into the bloodstream.

“Our findings show that when these receptors are not activated—mimicking a low-fibre diet—gut permeability increases, allowing microbial components into circulation,” explained Dr. Rikeish R. Muralitharan, lead author and research fellow at Monash University. “This triggers inflammation in key organs like the kidneys, which regulate blood pressure, ultimately leading to hypertension.”

Genetic Insights and Future Treatments

The research also examined genetic data from approximately 300,000 individuals, revealing that certain genetic variants correlate with lower hypertension rates. Professor Marques’s laboratory is now conducting a human clinical trial to further explore gut permeability’s role in hypertension and is developing new drugs designed to target these receptors.

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