India, Sept. 24 -- What we eat not just feeds our taste buds and stomach, but also shapes our gut microbiota - the trillions of microbes living in the digestive tract. These can influence digestion, immunity as well as cardiovascular health! Be it inflammation, cholesterol or blood pressure, these are all central to heart disease risk, and can be impacted by an unhealthy gut. A nutritionist says that her approach to protecting heart health, therefore, starts with foods that nurture both the gut and the cardiovascular system.

The gut microbiota helps break down complex foods, producing compounds that affect various body systems.

Pariksha Rao, Director - Nutrition & Medical Affairs at The Good Bug, tells Health Shots: "Some byproducts, li...