By To Your Health and Mark Hubbard
Here’s something that might surprise you: your gut and your heart are having regular conversations—and what they’re saying to each other can make a big difference in your overall health. Understanding this connection could help you protect both at the same time.
Your Gut and Heart Are Actually Talking
Think of your gut as more than just a food-processing plant. It’s home to trillions of tiny bacteria (yes, trillions!) that do way more than help you digest your lunch. These helpful little bugs create special compounds that travel through your bloodstream and send messages directly to your heart.
When everything is balanced in your gut, it’s great news for your heart. But when things get out of whack—maybe from a poor diet, stress, or antibiotics—those bacteria can start producing compounds that trigger inflammation and other problems that affect your cardiovascular system. Researchers recently identified 15 specific types of bacteria that are linked to coronary artery disease, showing just how real this gut-heart connection is.
But here’s the thing—you can actually influence this gut-heart conversation through what you eat.
Load Up on Fiber (Your Gut Will Thank You)
If there’s one food superhero for both your gut and heart, it’s fiber. Think of fiber as a broom that sweeps through your digestive system, keeping things clean and running smoothly. But it does even more than that.
The fiber found in foods like oatmeal, beans, apples, and lentils literally grabs onto cholesterol in your digestive tract and escorts it out of your body before it can clog up your arteries. At the same time, your gut bacteria feast on this fiber and create beneficial compounds that calm inflammation throughout your body—including in your heart. Try adding just one fiber-rich food to each meal. Toss some berries in your morning yogurt, grab an apple for a snack, or swap white rice for brown rice at dinner.
Probiotics Aren’t Just Hype
You’ve probably heard the buzz about probiotics—those “good bacteria” that show up in yogurt commercials. Turns out, they really can help both your gut and your heart.
When you eat probiotic-rich foods or take a supplement, you’re essentially sending reinforcements to help the good guys win the battle in your gut. Recent studies show that probiotics can actually reduce markers of inflammation that contribute to heart disease. One 2024 study even found that combining probiotics with prebiotics (which are basically food for probiotics) significantly reduced heart damage caused by an unhealthy diet. You don’t need anything fancy—regular yogurt with live cultures, kefir, sauerkraut, or kimchi all deliver beneficial bacteria. Just check the label for “live and active cultures.”
Choose the Right Fats
Not all fats deserve the bad reputation they’ve gotten over the years. Some fats are actually essential for keeping both your gut and heart healthy.
The fats in salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds, and olive oil help calm inflammation throughout your entire body. They also help your gut absorb important vitamins and nutrients, while supporting the flexibility and health of your blood vessels. The trick is swapping out the not-so-great fats (like those in fried foods and processed snacks) for these healthier options. Cook with olive oil instead of butter, snack on a handful of almonds instead of chips, or have salmon for dinner once a week.
Start Where You Are
Here’s the beautiful thing about the gut-heart connection: you don’t have to overhaul your entire life to make a difference. Your gut responds surprisingly quickly to changes in what you eat—sometimes within just a few days. Pick one simple step from this list and start there. Maybe it’s adding a serving of beans to your weekly rotation, trying Greek yogurt for breakfast, or keeping a bowl of apples on your counter. Small, consistent changes add up, and you’ll be doing your gut and your heart a favor at the same time.
Linda Hubbard is an RN, Nutrition Specialist & Founderof To Your Health, a national nutrition and wellness coaching firm based in Wallingford, CT.
Mark Hubbard, is a writer and editor with years of experience in the health and science sectors. He specializes in distilling complex topics into understandable, engaging text.