Amid a global spike in cases of Alzheimer’s disease, a study on Wednesday showed that the bacteria in the mouth and on the tongue can indicate the risk of poor brain function and the underlying neurodegenerative disease.
While certain mouth bacteria can boost better memory and attention, others were linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, said the researchers from the University of Exeter, in the UK.
The researchers found that the harmful bacteria may impact the brain by directly entering the bloodstream, potentially causing damage to the brain. Alternatively, it can also cause an imbalance between beneficial and harmful bacteria.
This will reduce the conversion of nitrate (abundant in vegetable-rich diets) to nitric oxide — a chemical crucial for brain communication and memory formation.