{"id":6930,"date":"2026-01-19T14:14:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/?p=6930"},"modified":"2026-01-19T14:14:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:14:36","slug":"could-oral-health-play-a-role-in-alzheimers-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/could-oral-health-play-a-role-in-alzheimers-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Oral Health Play a Role in Alzheimer\u2019s Risk?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alzheimer\u2019s is the most common cause of dementia in the UK, according to the NHS, yet its exact origins remain a mystery. While age, genetics, untreated depression, and cardiovascular-related conditions are known risk factors, emerging research suggests a surprising culprit: infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent studies point to a potential connection between Alzheimer\u2019s and gum disease. In 2019, researchers led by Jan Potempa, a microbiologist at the University of Louisville, discovered Porphyromonas gingivalis<\/strong>\u2014the bacteria behind chronic periodontitis\u2014in the brains of deceased Alzheimer\u2019s patients. This pathogen, often linked to poor oral health, could play a more serious role than previously thought.<\/p>\n\n\n

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P. gingivalis\u2019 gingipains\u00a0(red) among neurons in the brain of a patient with Alzheimer\u2019s. (Cortexyme) via\u00a0<\/sub><\/kbd><\/mark><\/em>sciencealert<\/sub><\/kbd><\/mark><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Animal studies have reinforced the findings. Experiments by Cortexyme, Inc. showed that mice infected with P. gingivalis produced more beta-amyloid<\/strong>, the sticky protein that forms plaques in Alzheimer\u2019s brains. The bacteria\u2019s toxic enzymes, called gingipains<\/strong>, were also linked to tau and ubiquitin\u2014proteins already associated with neurodegeneration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading on next page…<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, traces of these toxic gingipains were found in some brains of individuals who had not been diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s. Researchers suggest this might indicate that infection occurs before cognitive symptoms appear<\/strong>, rather than being a consequence of dementia or poor oral hygiene later in life. \u201cBrain infection with P. gingivalis may be an early event, possibly explaining Alzheimer\u2019s pathology in middle-aged individuals before memory problems arise,\u201d the study authors explained.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Promisingly, the mice experiments also revealed that a compound developed by Cortexyme, called COR388<\/strong>, reduced amyloid-beta production and neuroinflammation. While the effects in humans are still unknown, scientists are hopeful that targeting these bacterial proteins could lead to new treatment strategies\u2014especially critical as no new dementia therapies have emerged in over 15 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDrugs targeting bacterial toxins have only shown benefits in mice so far, but with the urgent need for Alzheimer\u2019s treatments, testing every possible approach is vital,\u201d said David Reynolds, Chief Scientific Officer at Alzheimer\u2019s Research.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Pexels<\/sub><\/kbd><\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This research highlights the importance of oral health not just for your teeth, but potentially for your brain. While more studies are needed to confirm these findings in humans, the link between gum disease and Alzheimer\u2019s could open the door to new preventative and therapeutic approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protect your smile\u2014and your brain. Share this research with family and friends to raise awareness about Alzheimer\u2019s and the surprising role oral health may play.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alzheimer\u2019s is the most common cause of dementia in the UK, according to the NHS, yet its exact origins remain…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6936,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6930\/revisions\/6936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}