H Pylori & Heart Disease

It is commonly known that H pylori can lead to distress in the digestive system, with symptoms such as heartburn, reflux, belching, vomiting, bloating and gas being commonplace. It is also known that H pylori causes stomach ulcers.

However there is emerging evidence that H pylori may contribute to more serious illnesses. Research has demonstrated a strong association between H pylori and stomach cancer and recently, eyebrows have been raised as new research has suggested a link between bacterial infections and heart disease.

The precise mechanism by which H pylori causes heart disease is not yet known, but researchers believe that it is a person’s own immune system that does the damage.  How can this be so?

When a person has H pylori, the body produces antibodies that attack specific protein sequences (called antigens) on the surface of the H pylori bacteria. Scientists have found that the protein sequences of certain human tissues are very similar to those found on H pylori.

Instead of attacking the H pylori, the antibodies attack the tissues of the body instead. The thyroid gland and vascular/heart tissues are thought to be some of the areas of the body that can be affected by this phenomenon, which is known as molecular mimicry.

The resulting onslaught of immune activity against the body’s own tissues is believed to contribute to malfunctioning of those tissues and also to inflammation, which may lead to the accumulation of fat and cholesterol on the arteries.

If H pylori truly does contribute to heart disease, we have yet another reason to eradicate this infection as soon as possible!

For further informatino on this topic, research the work of Dr Aristo Vodjani.