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Microbiota

A high-pressure situation for bacteria

Nature volume 551, pages 571–572 (2017)Cite this article

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Analyses in mice suggest that dietary salt increases blood pressure partly by affecting some of the microbes that inhabit the gut. The implications of this work for hypertension warrant further study in humans. See Article p.585

High blood pressure is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease and hence preventable death in the United States1, and is an increasingly prevalent and costly global health burden. Blood-pressure control in humans is inadequately understood — debate swirls around the contribution of dietary salt in particular. On page 585, Wilck et al.2 draw connections between dietary salt, microorganisms in the gut, immune responses and blood pressure.

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Figure 1: A possible role for gut microbes in regulating blood pressure in mice.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Medicine, and of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305-5124, California, USA

    David A. Relman

  2. Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California

    David A. Relman

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  1. David A. Relman
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Correspondence to David A. Relman.

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Relman, D. A high-pressure situation for bacteria. Nature 551, 571–572 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature24760

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