Gut health issues ‘raise risk for heart failure patients’
13 Mar 2026
People with heart failure have 8% more chance of being hospitalised or dying if they also have poor gut health, says a study from the University of Leicester.
Researchers writing in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology analysed data from more than 2,000 people attending Leicester’s university hospitals as well as a group of heart failure patients drawn from 12 European countries.
Individuals admitted to hospital with heart failure were tracked over a period of one year.
Those whose blood tests suggested unhealthily high levels of gut related chemicals in the blood, notably gamma?butyrobetaine and acetyl-L-carnitine, appeared to have an 8% greater risk of being hospitalised again for heart failure or dying from any cause.
Gut microbe composition was included among 11 factors for an algorithm designed to classify people as high, low or intermediate risk of dying or being readmitted to hospital.
The scientists said the algorithm was not only 71% accurate in classifying health risk but also performed well compared to risk calculators currently employed by the medical profession.
In addition, while conventional calculators can predict risk for a maximum of one month, the algorithm is accurate for a year, said the Leicester team.
Professor Toru Suzuki, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Leicester university, who led the study, said the study provided clear further evidence of the powerful influence the gut microbiome has over cardiovascular health.
Said Suzuki: “Our research has now found a way to harness that power, improving the tools doctors use to predict risk when treating seriously ill patients.
“We hope the new calculator can be adopted in management guidelines for heart failure within the next few years, giving doctors the ability to better support their patients and save lives.”
Levels of gut related chemicals such as gamma?butyrobetaine and acetyl-L-carnitine tend to rise in individuals whose food consumption includes red meat and eggs.
The researchers suggested that introducing a more varied diet could improve microbial health and even aid cardiovascular improvement.
However, professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation which funded the study, added that further research was needed to determine whether taking action to improve gut health could improve patient outcomes.
Pic: Natanael Melchor
