{"id":1091,"date":"2022-03-22T00:21:20","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T00:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/high-blood-pressure-do-oral-bacteria-play-a-role-medical-news-today\/"},"modified":"2022-03-22T00:21:20","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T00:21:20","slug":"high-blood-pressure-do-oral-bacteria-play-a-role-medical-news-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/03\/22\/high-blood-pressure-do-oral-bacteria-play-a-role-medical-news-today\/","title":{"rendered":"High blood pressure: Do oral bacteria play a role? – Medical News Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

The study appears in the Journal of the American Heart Association<\/em><\/a>.
The authors believe there is ground for further research to determine whether this association between oral bacteria and hypertension<\/a> is causal.
Blood pressure<\/a> is the pressure of blood<\/a> pushing against the wall of the arteries. It is normal for blood pressure to rise and fall throughout the day, but if it remains elevated, it can cause health issues.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlight that a person with hypertension is more likely to have a stroke<\/a> or develop heart disease<\/a>. An estimated 47%<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> of adults in the U.S. have hypertension, with the condition particularly affecting<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> older adults and females.
Researchers<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> have noted that despite there being evidence-based approaches to preventing and reducing hypertension, it is still highly prevalent. As such, there is continuing research to understand why people develop hypertension and how to address this.
Scientists<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> have identified that the relationship between the microbiome and hypertension risk is worth further investigation.
The microbiome<\/a> is a collection<\/a> of microbes \u2014 primarily bacteria \u2014 that live in and on a person\u2019s body. Scientists are finding more and more evidence<\/a> that the microbiome plays a role in maintaining good health.
There is some evidence<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> that the gut microbiome affects an individual\u2019s risk of hypertension. In the present study, however, the researchers focused on the oral microbiome and its relationship with hypertension risk.
The researchers drew on the Buffalo Osteoporosis and Periodontal Disease Study. They looked at data from 1,215 women who have experienced menopause<\/a>, with an average age of 63 when they enrolled in the study between 1997 and 2001.
When the participants enrolled, the researchers took samples of their oral bacteria from below their gumline and measured their blood pressure. The researchers also took the participants\u2019 medical histories and recorded any medications they were taking.
At the beginning of the study, 40% of the participants were taking hypertension medication.
About half of the participants who did not have hypertension or were not receiving treatment for the condition at baseline went on to receive a hypertension diagnosis and treatment during the 10-year average follow-up.
After analyzing the oral bacteria samples, the researchers identified 10 species that they linked to a greater risk of hypertension, ranging from a 10% to a 16% increase.
The researchers also found a link between five bacteria and a 9\u201318% lower risk of hypertension.
With the exception of two bacteria, these findings held true even when the researchers took into account age and other confounding lifestyle and clinical factors.
Medical News Today<\/em> spoke with Prof. Michael LaMonte<\/a>, a research professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University at Buffalo, NY.
Prof. LaMonte, corresponding author of the study, said that further research was necessary to understand what might account for the link between specific oral bacteria and increased risk of hypertension in older women.
\u201cThe exact mechanisms through which specific oral bacteria might influence blood pressure \u2014 for better or for worse \u2014 are not entirely clear.\u201d
\u201cWe hypothesize that the ability of some oral bacteria to convert dietary nitrate into nitrite which then is further converted in the gut to nitric oxide \u2014 a potent chemical responsible for arterial relaxation and dilation \u2014 is one likely possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 Prof. Michael LaMonte
\u201cAlso, we know that oral bacteria can escape from the mouth and translocate through the blood circulation to other parts of the body,\u201d Prof. LaMonte explained.
\u201cOne such location in which oral bacteria have been found is within the arterial wall encapsulated in atherosclerotic plaques. Atherosclerosis leads to stiffening of arteries, which in turn raises blood pressure. So, it is possible there might be a connection between oral bacteria and arterial atherosclerosis.\u201d
\u201cOf course, there always is the possibility that ours is a chance finding. It will be important to know whether other studies examining this issue find consistent or different results,\u201d said Prof. LaMonte.
MNT<\/em> also spoke with the American Dental Association (ADA)<\/a>, who also highlighted that the link between specific oral bacteria and hypertension does not necessarily imply causation.
\u201cJust because two things are associated does not mean that one causes the other. This study does not provide updates on whether managing the microorganisms would impact an individual\u2019s risk of developing hypertension.\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cIt does suggest, however, that there may be a change in microorganisms in the oral microbiome after a person develops hypertension and is taking prescription medication for blood pressure control.\u201d
To maintain a healthy oral microbiome, the ADA recommended that people:
To determine causation, researchers would need to conduct a randomized clinical trial.
According to Prof. LaMonte, \u201cAt 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.\u201d
Over recent years, researchers have investigated the potential role of gut bacteria in hypertension. Although evidence is mounting, questions remain.<\/a>
Here, we examine the link between sleep apnea, hypertension, and gut bacteria. Although it seems unlikely, scientists are building up evidence of a\u2026<\/a>
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major global health concern. Read on to learn what causes hypertension, its symptoms, types, and how to\u2026<\/a>
How much influence do your gut bacteria have on your state of mind? Perhaps more than you think, according to research into the microbiome-gut-brain\u2026<\/a>
The role of gut bacteria in health and disease is complex. A new study examines the impact of bacteriophages, which are viruses that attack bacteria.<\/a>
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source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The study appears in the Journal of the American Heart Association.The authors believe there is ground for further research to determine whether this association between oral bacteria and hypertension is causal.Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the wall of the arteries. It is normal for blood pressure to rise and fall throughout […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}