The surprising link between dementia and oral health

ZOE Science & Nutrition

ZOE

Nutrition, Science, Health & Fitness, Education

4.6 • 5.6K Ratings

🗓️ 12 October 2023

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

More than 50 systemic health conditions — including Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and heart disease — are associated with oral disease. The link between systemic and oral conditions is always microbial, inflammatory, or both. So, how can we look after our gums to improve our health? In today’s episode, Jonathan and Prof. Alp Kantarci pose the question: How does the health of your oral cavity shape your general health? Dr. Alp Kantarci is a professor, scientist, dentist, oral health researcher, periodontist, dental implant surgeon, and senior member of staff at the Forsyth Institute, an independent research institute that focuses on the connections between oral health and overall wellness. Dr. Kantarci is also a faculty member at Harvard University School of Dental Medicine. He has published more than 190 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has presented more than 170 talks and posters at dental and medical congresses. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide If you want to uncover the right foods for your body, head to joinzoe.com/podcast and get 10% off your personalized nutrition program. Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes: 01:35 - Quickfire questions 04:11 - What is oral health? 08:35 - How is our oral health connected to the health of the rest of our body? 11:01 - Oral microbiome 18:48 - Why does bad oral health affect the rest of the body? 22:47 - How much does the state of our oral health contribute to dementia? 25:48 - The link between oral health and diabetes 28:31 - The link between oral health and cardiovascular diseases 32:41 - What are the key steps to look after our oral health? 35:36 - Alp’s view on mouthwash 37:51 - Oral health & probiotics 42:22 - Impact of food on our oral health 45:45 - Does sparkling water affect our oral health? 50:04 - Summary 52:34 - Goodbyes 52:41 - Outro Mentioned in today’s episode: Dementia and the risk of periodontitis: A population-based cohort study from the Journal of Dental Research. Microglial response to experimental periodontitis in a murine model of Alzheimer’s disease from Scientific Reports. Fusobacterium nucleatum dissemination by neutrophils from the Journal of Oral Microbiology. Safety and preliminary efficacy of a novel host-modulatory therapy for reducing gingival inflammation from Frontiers in Immunology. Episode transcripts are available here. Is there a nutrition topic you’d like us to explore? Email us at podcast@joinzoe.com, and we’ll do our best to cover it.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Zoe, Science and Nutrition, where world-leading scientists explain how their research can improve your health.
0:15.0	I'm your host, Jonathan Wolf, founder and CEO of Zoe.
0:18.0	Today, we hear about some amazing new science that links the state of our teeth and gums to the health of the rest of our bodies.
0:27.0	It now seems that not looking after our oral health can increase our risk of Alzheimer's, heart disease and other serious conditions.
0:35.0	Joining me today is Professor Alcantacci from the Forsyth Institute, as well as being one of the world's leading researchers into the impact of oral health.
0:44.0	Alp is a board-certified dentist and faculty member at the Harvard University School of Dental Medicine.
0:50.0	He studies the links between our oral health, inflammation and chronic diseases.
0:55.0	Alp joins me to explain how the latest research may transform how you think about what is going on in your mouth,
1:01.0	and to educate all of us on how to look after our teeth and gums to improve our overall health.
1:09.0	Alp, thank you for joining me today.
1:11.0	Thank you, Jonathan. It's a pleasure to be here.
1:13.0	Wonderful. So I would like to start with something that we always do, which is a quick fire round of questions for our listeners.
1:22.0	And I know that professors always find this really hard, and the rules are quite simple.
1:27.0	You can say yes, you can say no, or if you have to, you can give me a one sentence answer.
1:33.0	Are you willing to give it a go?
1:34.0	Sure.
1:35.0	All right. Let's start at the beginning.
1:37.0	If I don't look after my teeth, am I more likely to get Alzheimer's disease?
1:42.0	Yes.
1:43.0	Can sore gums increase my risk of heart disease or diabetes?
1:47.0	Yes.
1:48.0	This is quite powerful stuff.
	...

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