Alzheimer's & Gingivitis: Brush Your Teeth, New Medicine Dvmt., Links to Diseases
News Release 3-Jun-2019, "Brush your teeth -- postpone Alzheimer's." You don't only avoid holes in your teeth by keeping good oral hygiene, Norwegian researchers have discovered a clear connection between gum disease and Alzheimer's disease. The University of Bergen, Norway.
> The researchers have determined that gum disease (gingivitis) plays a decisive role in whether a person develops Alzheimer´s or not. "We discovered DNA-based proof that the bacteria causing gingivitis can move from the mouth to the brain," says researcher Piotr Mydel at Broegelmanns Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen (UiB). The bacteria produces a protein that destroys nerve cells in the brain, which in turn leads to loss of memory and ultimately, Alzheimer´s.
- Brush your teeth for better memory: Mydel points out that the bacteria is not causing Alzheimer´s alone, but the presence of these bacteria raise the risk for developing the disease substantially and are also implicated in a more rapid progression of the disease. - However, the good news is that this study shows that there are some things you can do yourself to slow down Alzheimer´s. "Brush your teeth and use floss".
> Mydel adds that it is important, if you have established gingivitis and have Alzheimer´s in your family, to go to your dentist regularly and clean your teeth properly.
- New medicine being developed: Researchers have previously discovered that the bacteria causing gingivitis can move from the mouth to the brain where the harmful enzymes they excrete can destroy the nerve cells in the brain. Now, for the first time, Mydel has DNA-evidence for this process from human brains. Mydel and his colleagues examined 53 persons with Alzheime´s and discovered the enzyme in 96 per cent of the cases. According to Mydel, this knowledge gives researchers a possible new approach for attacking Alzheimer´s disease.
"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 Piotr Mydel.
- FACTS: GINGIVITIS: •The bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.gingivalis) is one of the main causes to infection in the gums.
•The bacteria causes chronic infection in the gums, but can move to the brain where it can damage nerve cells in the brain.
•Circa 50 per cent of the population have this bacteria in one or another form.
•Circa 10 per cent of the ones having this bacteria will develop serious gum disease, loose teeth, and have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer´s disease.
> •In addition to Alzheimers, the bacteria is linked to rheumatism, COPD and esophageal cancer. <
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-06/tuob-byt060319.php
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> ALSO, Science Magazine, "Gum disease–causing bacteria could spur Alzheimer’s," Jan. 23, 2019. Jocelyn Kaiser
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/01/gum-disease-causing-bacteria-could-spur-alzheimer-s
Poor oral health is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. What’s not clear is whether gum disease causes the disorder or is merely a result—many patients with dementia can’t take care of their teeth, for example. Now, a privately sponsored study has confirmed that the bacteria that cause gum disease are present in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, not just in their mouths. The study also finds that in mice, the bacteria trigger brain changes typical of the disease.
The provocative findings are the latest in a wave of research suggesting microbial infections may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease. But even some scientists who champion that once-fringy notion aren’t convinced that Porphyromonas gingivalis, the species fingered in the new study, is behind the disorder. “I'm fully on board with the idea that this microbe could be a contributing factor.
I'm much less convinced that [it] causes Alzheimer’s disease,” says neurobiologist Robert Moir of the Harvard University–affiliated Mass. General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, whose work suggests the β-amyloid protein that forms plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients is a protective response to microbial invaders...
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