Statins and gardening are good for your gut

aRe you getting more forgetful, making lots of stupid mistakes when you are hurrying to finish something? If so, you might want to take up mindfulness. There have been lots of studies showing multiple benefits, but new research from michigan state university showed that practising mindfulness could help make people less prone to errors. With Christmas on the way, and so much to do, it is good to take a little time out of the day to think about, well, nothing much.

OUR gut bacteria, or microbiome, are brilliant chemists, able to convert the food that we eat into a range of chemicals that can boost or (in the case of ‘bad’ bacteria) harm our health.

One of the key things the good bacteria do is convert fibre into compounds that help reduce inflammation in the gut and around the body.

Eating a plant-based diet, rich in fibre, is a great way to boost levels of the good bacteria. But now a study, published in the journal Nature, has shown that, unexpectedly, certain drugs such as statins and some blood pressure pills can also increase these good bacteria.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen looked at the impact of different medicines on over 2,000 volunteers and found that those taking a combination of two commonly prescribed blood pressure drugs — diuretics and beta-blockers — had higher levels of bacteria called Roseburia, which are known to reduce chronic inflammation. People on statins also had a healthier combination of gut bacteria than those not taking them. As someone who has been prescribed statins, I was pleased by the results, but of course no one is suggesting you start taking these drugs in the hope it will improve your microbiome. The simple message remains: eat plenty of vegetables, legumes, beans and fruit, and top up with some fermented foods, such as yoghurt. Spending time outdoors in a garden is also a good way to improve your microbiome, as it exposes you to lots of microbes.