The Causal Relationship Linking Heart and Digestive System Diseases

Biomedical Sciences | Letter to editor | https://doi.org/10.47262/SL/14.1.132026140

Muhammed J. Kadhim*

Department of Power Mechanical Techniques, Polytechnic College of Engineering Specializations, Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

The cardiovascular and digestive systems work jointly to ensure that the body tissues have the necessary energy and maintain health. The food breaks down and absorbs nutrients via the digestive system, subsequently migrating through the bloodstream. After that, the blood pumped by the heart delivers nutrients and oxygen to the body's cells and helps remove waste. Simultaneously, blood movement boosts the digestion process by providing nutrients and oxygen. Among the diseases that are of great importance to society and to people's health are diseases of the digestive system, as well as diseases of the cardiovascular system. Numerous studies indicate a reciprocal effect of disease in one system on the other. There is a similarity in the existence of joint pathological mechanisms, which invited specialists to think that they are interconnected, knowing that they appear as specific and clear diseases. Many studies have focused on the relationship between feeding and diseases affecting the digestive system and the heart. Several hypotheses and possibilities have been proposed to explain this pathological link between the two systems, such as a neurological connection (vagus nerve stimulation), as seen in coronary artery disease and gastrointestinal disorders. Inflammation and autoimmunity have also been suggested as mechanisms to explain this pathological link. Another hypothesis proposes the infiltration of microbes from the intestines, through which bacteria, toxins, and volatile organic compounds are transmitted via the bloodstream, promoting cardiovascular disease. A new hypothesis is attributed to the discovery of the organic pathway linking the digestive system and the heart. The disruption of this organic pathway can cause heart disease by facilitating the transfer of bacteria and harmful substances from the digestive system to the heart. This reinforces and supports the hypothesis of a pathological link between the digestive system and the cardiovascular system.