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Gut, Oral, and Fungal Microbiota in Hypertension: A Multi-Compartment Systematic Review

Carini F, Sorce A, Ciuppa ME, David S, Giammanco M, Di Carlo P, Evola S, Tomasello G et al.

International journal of molecular sciences, 2026

159 participants

Abstract

The gut microbiota is an established modulator of blood pressure, but the oral bacteriome and the fungal mycobiome have been examined largely in isolation from it and from each other. No previous synthesis has evaluated all three compartments within one analytical framework, or treated sex and ethnicity as primary analytical axes rather than adjustment covariates. Systematic review reported according to PRISMA 2020 and, for the synthesis, the SWiM guideline. PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from inception to 30 June 2026. Observational human studies in adults reporting gut, oral, or fungal microbiota data stratified by blood pressure status were eligible, together with Mendelian randomisation studies and studies with a nested experimental causal component. Two reviewers screened and extracted independently, with a third resolving disagreement. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and certainty of evidence with GRADE adapted for exposure-outcome questions. Increased abundance of the Ruminococcus gnavus group was the most convergent taxon-level finding, replicated in three independent populations on two continents, including one prospective multi-ethnic cohort with full adjustment and correction for multiple comparisons (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.14 for incident hypertension). In the oral compartment, depletion of the nitrate-reducing commensal Neisseria subflava converged across a United States prospective cohort and an…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 159 participants or records.

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