Bad heart? Chew on this. It’s doublemint.
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
What’s bad for your mouth could be horrible for your heart. Why?!
Enter Shunsuke Miyauchi and team at Hiroshima University. They studied bacteria behind the gum disease gingivitis to understand its impact on the heart.
Turns out, the presence of this bacteria increased the chance of having irregular heartbeats. The researchers also looked at the prevalence of the bacteria in dental patients. They linked more severe gum disease to more irregular heartbeats.
Gum care isn’t just about smiles, it might keep your heart in rhythm too.
Sounds like the PLAQUE may be thickening! Get me a toothbrush, stat!
Reference: Miyauchi, S., Kawada-Matsuo, M., Furusho, H., Nishi, H., Nakajima, A., Phat, P. T., Shiba, F., Kitagawa, M., Ouhara, K., Oda, N., Tokuyama, T., Okubo, Y., Okamura, S., Takasaki, T., Takahashi, S., Hiyama, T., Kawaguchi, H., Komatsuzawa, H., Miyauchi, M., & Nakano, Y.. (2025). Atrial Translocation of Porphyromonas gingivalis Exacerbates Atrial Fibrosis and Atrial Fibrillation. Circulation. https://doi.org/10.1161/circulationaha.124.071310