Remember, this is just helpful information. If you have questions about your health, always ask a doctor. What we eat every day can really affect our heart, which is the part of our body that keeps us alive and moving.

But many of us don’t realize that some foods we eat all the time might hurt our hearts without us knowing. Things like too much sugar, salt, fast food, or fried foods can slowly cause problems for our heart over time.

Dr. Dmitry Yaranov shared on Instagram that the food we eat can even affect tiny germs in our tummy, called bacteria, which can increase the chance of having a heart attack or stroke. He explained that these tiny germs can turn our food into a special thing called TMAO, which is linked to clogged arteries and heart problems.

If the bacteria in our tummy aren’t healthy, it can cause inflammation (swelling), make our blood pressure go up, and mess up our cholesterol levels, even if we don’t feel sick.