Before reading the rest of this, keep in mind that I am now attempting to educate my readers on some interesting health issues.
The following two articles are about the mouth and how it could relate to an individual’s overall health.
First from Cardiology Advisor on 2/11/25:
“°Dental flossing is associated with a lower risk for ischemic and cardioembolic stroke and atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a study presented at the annual American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference, held from Feb. 5 to 7 in Los Angeles.
Data were included for 6,278 dentate participants without a prior history of stroke and 6,108 without prior AF who were followed over a 25-year period. The researchers found that 65 percent of the stroke-free cohort reported flossing. Flossers had significantly lower rates of vascular risk factors, periodontal disease, and dental caries. Overall, 434 individuals were identified as having strokes during the follow-up period: 146 thrombotic, 102 cardioembolic, and 95 lacunar subtypes. Dental flossing was associated with a significantly lower risk for ischemic stroke, cardioembolic stroke subtype, and AF, but not thrombotic or lacunar stroke. A significant dose-effect was observed between flossing frequency and the reduction in incident ischemic stroke. The reduced rate of AF mediated a small proportion of the cardioembolic stroke risk reduction.”
The second article from Science Alert on 2/21/25:
“In recent years, a growing number of scientific studies have backed an alarming hypothesis: Alzheimer’s disease isn’t just a disease, it’s an infection.
One such study, published in 2019, suggested what could be one of the most definitive leads yet for a bacterial culprit behind Alzheimer’s, and it comes from a somewhat unexpected quarter: gum disease.
In a paper led by senior author Jan Potempa, a microbiologist from the University of Louisville, researchers reported the discovery of Porphyromonas gingivalis – the pathogen behind chronic periodontitis (aka gum disease) – in the brains of deceased Alzheimer’s patients.
It wasn’t the first time the two factors have been linked, but the researchers went further.
In separate experiments with mice, oral infection with the pathogen led to brain colonization by the bacteria, together with increased production of amyloid beta (Aβ), the sticky proteins commonly associated with Alzheimer’s.”
I find both of these articles very interesting because two of today’s biggest individual health issues are Atrial fibrillation and Alzheimer’s. … could one’s mouth and gums be related to both?
3/26/25