How low fibre diets lead to heart disease

High blood pressure or hypertension is a high-risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke. It affects 1 in 3 adults in Australia. Although there are commercially available drugs to target hypertension, 50% of patients have their blood pressure above healthy ranges. A key risk factor for hypertension is diet, with diets low in fibre leading to higher blood pressure. Thus, my PhD research focuses on discovering new metabolites that might regulate blood pressure via inadequate fibre intake. I aim to establish the mechanisms behind how this happens, which can lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets, including ones that may target the gut microbiome instead of the host to lower blood pressure. Hence, my research provides scientific evidence that “what we eat shapes who we are”. Importantly, the new metabolites we have discovered could be future therapeutic targets or disease biomarkers for hypertension.