Research

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Higher gut microbial alpha diversity is associated with lower arterial stiffness (measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity) in middle-aged women, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

For women, maintaining a diverse gut microbiome through a fiber-rich diet may support arterial health. While this study does not prove that changing your diet will directly lower blood pressure or stiffness, it highlights that the microbes in your gut are linked to how stiff your arteries are, a key marker of cardiovascular aging. Focus on dietary diversity to support microbial richness.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Gut microbiome diversity is inversely associated with arterial stiffness in women. Pulse wave velocity was negatively correlated with gut microbiome alpha diversity (Shannon index, Beta(SE)= -0.25(0.07), P = 1 (cid:2) 10-4) after adjustment for covariates.
Cristina Menni et al. · European Heart Journal · 2018

Why this rating

Large sample size (n=617) and rigorous adjustment for covariates, but cross-sectional design prevents causal inference.

Source

Gut microbial diversity is associated with lower arterial stiffness in women

Cristina Menni et al. · European Heart Journal · 2018

DOI 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy226

cross_sectional · n=617Cited 239×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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