30 December, 2005
Prevention of heart attacks? Is there a role for synbiotic products? It has been known for some time that heart attacks are the result of a complex cascade of events, starting with the build-up of atherosclerotic plaque on the walls of the arteries and finishing with a rupture of the plaque with subsequent bleeding and the formation of a clot which occludes (blocks) the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle itself. Some time ago it was realised that bacteria with the ability to invade and parasitise human cells play a key role in the aetiology of heart attacks. The main suspect was Chlamydia pneumoniae. In an article published in Microbiology Australia, August 2005, Pauline Ford et al repeated the observation that there is an association between gum disease and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Ford et al reported that Porphyromonas gingivalis (a cause of inflamed gums) was found in 100% of the atherosclerotic lesions of 25 patients. They also found that infections by multiple bacteria were more common that those by single cultures, which reinforces the suggestion by Epstein SE (Circ. Res. 2002;90:2-4) that an aggregate pathogen burden plays a major role in the progression towards heart attack.
The fact that the immune system is winding down as we age suggests that it is beginning to lose the battle against ongoing ingress of pathogens from a variety of sources. C. pneumoniae gets in via the lungs, Helicobacter pylori via the stomach perhaps and others via a leaky intestine. Given that L. acidophilus LAFTI strain L10 has been demonstrated to be able to powerfully stimulate the immune system, perhaps there is a role for it in the prevention of heart disease?
The fact that the immune system is winding down as we age suggests that it is beginning to lose the battle against ongoing ingress of pathogens from a variety of sources. C. pneumoniae gets in via the lungs, Helicobacter pylori via the stomach perhaps and others via a leaky intestine. Given that L. acidophilus LAFTI strain L10 has been demonstrated to be able to powerfully stimulate the immune system, perhaps there is a role for it in the prevention of heart disease?
