Mouthwash may kill beneficial bacteria in mouth and trigger diabetes
NewsPosted by: manpreet.boora 24th November 2017
A new study suggests that destroying microbes that live in the mouth and protect against obesity and diabetes is the result of swilling with anti-bacterial fluid.
While mouthwash is supposed to target the bacteria which cause plaque and bad breath, in fact, it is indiscriminate, washing away beneficial strains.
Reports Science Editor, Sarah Knapton in The Telegraph of 22 November, researchers at Harvard University found that people who used mouthwash twice a day were around 55 per cent more likely to develop diabetes or dangerous blood sugar spikes, within three years.
Although previous studies have found that poor oral hygiene can lead to health problems elsewhere in the body, it is the first research to show that seemingly positive practices can have unexpectedly negative consequences.
Kaumudi Joshipura, professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, said: “Most of these antibacterial ingredients in mouthwash are not selective.
“In other words, they do not target specific oral bacteria-instead, these ingredients can act on a broad range of bacteria.”
The study looked at 1,206 overweight people aged between 40 and 65 who were deemed at risk of getting diabetes.
Over the study period around 17 per cent of people developed diabetes or pre-diabetes, but that rose to 20 per cent for those using mouthwash once a day, and 30 per cent for those who used it in the morning and evening.
Prof Joshipura said helpful bacteria in the mouth can protect against diabetes and obesity, including microbes which help the body produce nitric oxide, which regulates insulin levels.
Nitric oxide is also important for regulating the metabolism, balancing energy and keeping blood sugar levels in check.
According to The Telegraph, “a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Periodontal Research found that some mouth bacteria seem to protect against diabetes and obesity.
And another study from 2013 found just a week of mouthwash could decrease a person’s oral nitrite production by 90 per cent, lowering blood nitrite levels by a quarter. These shifts in production led to visible blood pressure spikes.
‘The indiscriminate routine use of antibacterial mouthwash products may cause more harm than good, in light of recent studies, and further supported by findings from this study,’ the new research concluded.
‘Mouthwash use may also have a detrimental impact on diabetes control and possible complications, as these share some common NO-mediated pathways with blood pressure and diabetes.’
The research was published in the journal Nitric Oxide.”
