Brushing Your Teeth May Postpone Alzheimer’s

Researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway have reported a clear connection between periodontitis and Alzheimer’s disease. The study, “Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer’s Disease Brains: Evidence for Disease Causation and Treatment with Small-Molecule Inhibitors,” is published in Science Advances.

Investigators report the presence of the bacteria causing periodontitis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, increases the risk for developing Alzheimer’s and is implicated in a more rapid progression of the cognitive disease. According to the study, P. gingivalisproduces a protein that destroys nerve cells in the brain, which leads to loss of memory and, ultimately, Alzheimer´s.

The team examined 53 subjects with Alzheimer´s and identified the enzyme in 96% of the group. These findings provided researchers with the knowledge to develop a drug that blocks the harmful enzymes from the bacteria, postponing the development of Alzheimer´s. The drug will be tested later this year