Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
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Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
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Re: Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
#2P. gingivalis has been shown that it can migrate from the mouth to the brain. It is also found in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers. But we don't know yet if it is THE cause of Alzheimer's. Which is to say "more research is needed to prove a cause and effect link."
This is still fresh science, the ink is still wet. It might ultimately prove that the cause of Alzheimer's is P. gingivalis (which is Nobel Prize levels of incredible). However, this single 2018 study is far from the body of evidence needed to make a claim on causal link.
That being said: Please brush and floss. There's no downside. Even if it is unlinked to Alzheimer's you've gained something and lost nothing. You'll thank yourself in the long run either way.
PS - I'm not even calling the science here bad (it is not). I am simply saying, this is the start of a marathon and the article is treating it like the end. Ten years ago similar articles on prion-based infections causing Alzheimer's was the hotness, until it wasn't.
Re: Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
#3I wish there was some way to compare / visualize where I should be putting my effort on this stuff.
Surely I should do better taking care of my gums (flossing...:|), but I also need to improve my diet and exercise, among other things.
I'd hate to find out that the things in my life that I do manage to fix turn out to be more difficult and less effectual than other options...
Re: Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
#4This is going to sound like a shill but I have to recommend the new Gum Detoxify toothpaste from Crest and thought I'd share it with other Hacker News readers. It has stannous fluoride and that is supposed to work better and actually kill bacteria around your gums. The reviews for it seemed crazy positive so I thought I would try it and it has been a product that actually does what it says.
I have to say, I wake up without morning breath pretty much now, which is insane. And I have been feeling better...
Here is a paper comparing stannous fluoride with the traditional type. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30797255 "Antimicrobial effects of a stannous fluoride toothpaste in distinct oral microenvironments."
Re: Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
#5P. gingivalis has been shown that it can migrate from the mouth to the brain. It is also found in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers. But we don't know yet if it is THE cause of Alzheimer's. Which is to say "more research is needed to prove a cause and effect link." This is still fresh science, the ink is still wet. It might ultimately prove that the cause of Alzheimer's is P. gingivalis (which is Nobel Prize levels…
>Please brush and floss. There's no downside.
I wouldn't go as far as to say there's NO downside. Of course this makes me sound like a kook, but in the interest of full transparency: If you are using fluoridated toothpaste there are side effects of the fluoride, not to mention the other synthetic chemicals in there like sulfates that mess with your gut - and Oral-B Glide floss is made with teflon-like substances (PFAS) that accumulate in your body and cause problems.
Re: Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
#6P. gingivalis has been shown that it can migrate from the mouth to the brain. It is also found in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers. But we don't know yet if it is THE cause of Alzheimer's. Which is to say "more research is needed to prove a cause and effect link." This is still fresh science, the ink is still wet. It might ultimately prove that the cause of Alzheimer's is P. gingivalis (which is Nobel Prize levels…
There's always a downside: the time lost. Over a year we loose 10+ hours on that.
Re: Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
#7The Research Article: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/1/eaau3333
Re: Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
#8This is going to sound like a shill but I have to recommend the new Gum Detoxify toothpaste from Crest and thought I'd share it with other Hacker News readers. It has stannous fluoride and that is supposed to work better and actually kill bacteria around your gums. The reviews for it seemed crazy positive so I thought I would try it and it has been a product that actually does what it says. I have to say, I wake up w…
I was using a brand called Paradontax, which is a stannous fluoride, but it was causing noticeable yellowing which is a common downside to using stannous fluoride. I switched over to the Crest Detoxify Kit instead, and it seems to work just as well, but the whitener it includes not only prevents yellowing, it's clearing away the yellowing I already had, so I'm super happy with it.
I've always been bad with my teeth, but in the last few months month I got serious after being chastised by my hygienist, so I bought a Waterpik, those toothpastes, and a mouthwash for dry mouth, and my mouth has never felt better and cleaner.
Re: Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
#9P. gingivalis has been shown that it can migrate from the mouth to the brain. It is also found in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers. But we don't know yet if it is THE cause of Alzheimer's. Which is to say "more research is needed to prove a cause and effect link." This is still fresh science, the ink is still wet. It might ultimately prove that the cause of Alzheimer's is P. gingivalis (which is Nobel Prize levels…
> Ten years ago similar articles on prion-based infections causing Alzheimer's was the hotness, until it wasn't.
I think it was not so long ago that I saw an article linking herpes viruses to Alzheimer's (which sounded much more plausible than an oral bacterium). Something must be causing those amyloid deposits...
Re: Brush your teeth – postpone Alzheimer's
#10I wish there was some way to compare / visualize where I should be putting my effort on this stuff. Surely I should do better taking care of my gums (flossing...:|), but I also need to improve my diet and exercise, among other things. I'd hate to find out that the things in my life that I do manage to fix turn out to be more difficult and less effectual than other options...
Twice a day of brush, floss, and rinse is the bare minimum to keep healthy teeth and gums
I bought a nice electric toothbrush and water flosser, so I feel like I get a better job done faster (Sonicare and Waterpik)