Do oral bacteria play any role in hypertension?

The microbiota and hypertension
Blood pressure is the force exerted by blood against the artery walls. Blood pressure naturally rises and falls during the day, but if it remains high, it can create health problems.

A person with hypertension is more likely to have a stroke or develop heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hypertension affects an estimated 47 percent of individuals in the United States, with the ailment impacting older persons and women the most.

Despite the fact that there are evidence-based treatments to avoiding and lowering hypertension, it is nevertheless quite common, according to researchersTrusted Source. As a result, research into why people acquire hypertension and how to treat it is still ongoing. The association between the microbiota and hypertension risk is worth additional examination, according to scientists at Trusted Source. The microbiome is a collection of microbes — primarily bacteria — that live in and on a person’s body. Scientists are finding more and more evidence that the microbiome plays a role in maintaining good health.

There is some evidenceTrusted Source that the gut microbiome affects an individual’s risk of hypertension. In the present study, however, the researchers focused on the oral microbiome and its relationship with hypertension risk.

Over 1,000 people took part in the event. The Buffalo Osteoporosis and Periodontal Disease Study was used by the researchers. They analysed data from 1,215 women who had gone through menopause and were 63 years old on average when they entered in the research between 1997 and 2001. The researchers obtained samples of the individuals’ oral microorganisms from below their gumline and tested their blood pressure when they signed up. The researchers also obtained the individuals’ medical histories and a list of any drugs they were currently taking.

At the start of the trial, 40% of the patients were on blood pressure medication.

During the 10-year average follow-up, around half of the people who did not have hypertension or were not getting treatment for the illness at baseline received a hypertension diagnosis and therapy.

Bacteria and hypertension are linked.
The researchers discovered ten species of oral bacteria that were connected to a higher risk of hypertension, ranging from a 10% to a 16 percent increase, after studying the oral bacteria samples.

Five bacteria were also linked to a 9–18 percent decreased incidence of hypertension, according to the study.

With the exception of two bacteria, the researchers’ findings were consistent even after accounting for age and other confounding lifestyle and clinical variables.

Bacteria and hypertension are linked.
Prof. LaMonte said, “We also know that oral bacteria may escape from the mouth and travel through the bloodstream to other regions of the body.”

“Oral bacteria have been discovered within the artery wall encased in atherosclerotic plaques, for example.” Atherosclerosis causes artery hardening, which causes blood pressure to rise. As a result, it’s probable that oral bacteria and arterial atherosclerosis are linked.”

“Of course, there’s always the chance that ours was a lucky find. “It will be crucial to see if other research looking at this topic come up with similar or different conclusions,” Prof. LaMonte added.

The American Dental Association (ADA) also talked with MNT, emphasising that a correlation between certain mouth bacteria and hypertension does not always suggest causality.

“An association between two items does not imply that one causes the other. This study does not give information on whether controlling microbes affects a person’s chance of acquiring hypertension.”

“It does imply, however, that if a person gets hypertension and begins taking blood pressure medication, there may be a change in bacteria in the oral microbiome.”

People should do the following to maintain a healthy oral microbiota, according to the ADA:

Brush their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and floss at least once a dayeat a healthy diet that limits sugary beverages and snack consult a dentist regularly for prevention and treatment of oral disease

To determine causation, researchers would need to conduct a randomized clinical trial.

According to Prof. LaMonte, “At present, we are not planning a randomized clinical trial to further evaluate this hypothesis, but such a trial will be critical to know whether or not our results reflect causation or merely association.”