Can Flossing and Brushing Your Teeth Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease? Raising Awareness With the Mouth-Body Connection
of Bergen shows that maintaining oral hygiene with flossing and brushing can slow or reduce your risk of the disease. Researcher Piotr Mydel says there’s “DNA-based proof” that the bacteria causing gingivitis can move from the mouth to the brain. While this bacteria isn’t the sole risk or cause of Alzheimer’s, its presence substantially raises the risk of the disease and how quickly it progresses. Thankfully, the same researchers believe that with their new information, there might be potential medications to help slow Alzheimer’s for patients. “We have managed to develop a drug that blocks the harmful enzymes from the bacteria, postponing the development of Alzheimer´s. We are planning to test this drug later this year,” says Mydel. The results of that testing haven’t been published yet but sounds promising to us. Best of luck to your research, University of Bergen! You can find many more studies on the mouth-body connection online, and you might be shocked at what you find. Let’s keep our mouths happy and healthy — not just for today, but for every day afterward, too.
November is Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, and at Livingston Dental, we thought we’d do our part by explaining the mouth-body connection and why your gum health is so important to your brain health.
THE MOUTH-BODY CONNECTION In recent decades, the field of dentistry has uncovered a lot more about the unique connection between our mouths and our overall health than you might think. It’s common to say, “You are what you eat,” but you could almost say the same applies to your oral hygiene (maybe “You’re as healthy as your teeth”).
It works a little like this. When there’s bacteria in your mouth and you develop gum disease (gingivitis), the infectious bacteria doesn’t stay isolated in your mouth. It circulates through your whole body, including your brain. This can have major consequences on your long-term health. HOW GINGIVITIS AFFECTS ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE When certain groups of bacteria that cause gingivitis hit your brain, other complications can arise. One 2019 study by the University
Puzzle Time!
Cinnamon-Spiced Candied Sweet Potatoes Ingredients These candied sweet potatoes will make your family beg for more!
Inspired by FoodAndWine.com
• 1 tbsp kosher salt • 1/4 tsp ground cloves • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed • 4 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks
• 4 lbs orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, then cut lengthwise into 1-inch wedges • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Place sweet potato wedges in a 4-quart baking dish. 3. Sprinkle sugar, salt, and cloves over sweet potatoes.
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4. Dot with butter and place cinnamon sticks around sweet potatoes. 5. Bake, turning every 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender and the liquid is syrupy, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. 6. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. 7. Discard cinnamon sticks and serve.
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