The Heart Disease Connection

Who would have thought a dentist appointment could protect the heart? Untreated bleeding gums stemming from either gingivitis or periodontitis appear to be precursors to various cardiovascular problems. Evidence for this comes from several studies showing that bacteria typically occurring in the mouth can travel and eventually collect within the plaque in blood-vessel walls. Such infection from remote sites is not new. Abundant evidence indicates that the lung pathogen Chlamydia pneumoniae and the stomach pathogen Helicobacter pylori , associated with ulcers and gastritis, can both contribute to cardiovascular disease and stroke.^1-3

The tissues that support teeth have an abundant blood supply, and the same capillaries delivering blood to these tissues also provide ready access to remote corners of the circulatory system for oral bacteria. A study presented by researchers from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto at the 1999 United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology meetings in San Francisco reported the presence of immune markers from an oral pathogen within atherosclerotic plaques. It's not known whether their presence in the plaque causes heart disease or is a symptom of it.

Another report from researchers at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and the State University of New York in Buffalo presented at a 1999 Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in Orlando, Fla., indicated that bleeding gums and "deep pockets" between the gum tissue and the bone supporting the teeth increased the risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease and strokes. The risk was greatest among people aged 25 to 54 in this study of nearly 10,000 people.⁴

Taking preventive measures—brushing, flossing and regular dentist visits—not only reduces the likelihood of gum disease, it may also help prevent heart disease.

Anthony L. Almada, M.Sc., a nutritional/exercise biochemist, was co-founder of Experimental and Applied Sciences Inc. (EAS) in Golden, Colo. He now leads IMAGINutrition and MetaResponse Sciences in Aptos, Calif.

References

1. Fagerberg B, et al. Chlamydia pneumoniae but not cytomegalovirus antibodies are associated with future risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease: a prospective study in middle-aged to elderly men with treated hypertension. Stroke 1999;30:299-305.

2. Ouchi K, et al. Chlamydia pneumoniae in coronary and iliac arteries of Japanese patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. J Med Microbiol 1998;47:907-13.

3. Markus HS, Mendall MA. Helicobacter pylori infection: a risk factor for ischaemic cerebrovascular disease and carotid atheroma. J Neurol Neurosurg and Psychiatry 1998;64:104-7.

4. Wu T, et al. Periodontal disease as a risk factor for CVD, CHD and stroke: the first national health and nutrition examination survey (NHANES I) and its follow-up study. Circulation 1999;1109.