Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42220832›Full record

ReviewCureus2026

Effects of Gut Microbiota-Modulating Interventions on Systemic Inflammation and Functional Outcomes in Established Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review.

Ishtiaq Ahmad, Manoj Sivakumar, Shivam Singla, Bhavna Singla, Sunita Kumawat, Ghazanfar Ali, Ali Raza Mehdi

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ishtiaq AhmadInternal Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, USA.
Manoj SivakumarInternal Medicine, K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College, Tiruchirappalli, IND.
Shivam SinglaInternal Medicine, TidalHealth Peninsula Regional, Salisbury, USA.
Bhavna SinglaInternal Medicine, Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo, USA.
Sunita KumawatInternal Medicine, St. Francis Medical Center, Lynwood, USA.
Ghazanfar AliInternal Medicine, Medicare Hospital, Faisalabad, PAK.
Ali Raza MehdiInternal Medicine, Services Hospital Lahore, Lahore, PAK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with persistent residual inflammatory risk despite advances in contemporary pharmacotherapy. Growing evidence implicates the gut-heart axis in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, heart failure, and cerebrovascular disease through mechanisms involving dysbiosis, intestinal permeability, endotoxemia, and systemic inflammation. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effects of gut microbiota-modulating interventions on systemic inflammatory markers and functional or clinical outcomes in adults with established cardiovascular disease. A comprehensive search of PubMed/Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted for randomized controlled trials published between January 2020 and December 2024. Eligible studies included adult patients with documented coronary artery disease, heart failure, or cerebrovascular accident receiving probiotics, postbiotics, or microbiota-targeted antibiotics compared with a placebo or standard care. Four randomized clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. Across studies, microbiota-modulating interventions were associated with significant reductions in inflammatory biomarkers, including interleukin-1β, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and lipopolysaccharide, suggesting attenuation of metabolic endotoxemia and systemic inflammatory activity. Improvements in functional capacity were observed in one chronic heart failure trial, whereas a multicenter heart failure study did not demonstrate significant changes in ventricular function or inflammatory markers. Overall, the available evidence indicates that microbiota-targeted interventions may exert anti-inflammatory effects in established cardiovascular disease; however, consistent functional or structural cardiac benefits have not been demonstrated. The current literature is limited by small sample sizes, heterogeneous interventions, and short follow-up durations. Larger, adequately powered trials with standardized endpoints are needed to determine whether modulation of the gut microbiota can translate into meaningful clinical benefit in secondary cardiovascular prevention.

Indexed as

cardiovascular diseasecoronary artery diseasegut microbiotaheart failureinflammationmetabolic endotoxemiapostbioticsprobioticsrandomized controlled trialstroke

Identifiers

PMID42220832
PMCPMC13216838

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.