A study from the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine has found something amazing — your tongue might reveal if your heart is in trouble.
Scientists discovered that people with chronic heart failure have very different tongues from those of healthy people, not only in how they look but also in the bacteria living on them. In healthy people, the tongue is usually pale red with a thin white coating.
But in people with heart failure, it often looks redder and has a thicker yellow coating. These changes seem to become stronger as the heart condition worsens. Heart failure is a long-term condition where the heart cannot pump blood as well as it should. This causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, tiredness, and swelling in the legs.
Doctors have many tests to diagnose it, but most require hospital visits, special machines, and blood work. If something as simple as the tongue can help, it could make detection easier, faster, and less stressful for patients. To explore this idea, researchers studied 42 people who had chronic heart failure and compared them with 28 healthy volunteers.
None of the participants had oral or dental problems, recent infections, or had taken antibiotics or immune drugs during the week before the test. This helped make sure the tongue bacteria were not affected by other health issues. The team collected samples of tongue coating in the morning before participants brushed their teeth or ate breakfast.
They used stainless steel spoons to scrape off small amounts of coating. Then, they analyzed the bacteria using a special technique called 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This method allows scientists to identify different bacteria by studying their genetic material.
The results were striking. The bacteria on the tongues of heart failure patients were completely different from those on healthy people’s tongues. Each group had its own unique set of microbes, with no overlap. The scientists even found five particular types of bacteria that could tell the two groups apart with about 84% accuracy.
They also noticed that two bacteria—Eubacterium and Solobacterium—became less common as heart failure grew worse. This means that the types and amounts of tongue bacteria could show how serious the condition is.
These findings suggest that checking the microbes on the tongue could be a simple and non-invasive way to screen for heart failure or monitor how it changes over time. It could even be used for large-scale health checks in the future, helping people catch heart disease earlier before serious symptoms appear.
This is not the first time scientists have linked tongue bacteria to major diseases. Previous studies found that tongue microbes could help identify pancreatic cancer. Experts believe that changes in these microbes might cause inflammation in the body, which can lead to or worsen diseases like cancer or heart failure.
However, researchers still don’t know exactly how these bacteria are connected to heart health. Are they a sign of heart failure, or do they somehow contribute to it? More studies will be needed to answer that question. Still, this research shows how much information our bodies can reveal through small, simple signs.
The tongue might seem ordinary, but it could become a powerful tool for spotting hidden health problems early. The study was led by Dr. Tianhui Yuan and shows how exploring new and unusual ideas can lead to easier and more affordable ways to diagnose diseases and improve care for millions of people with heart conditions around the world.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about top foods to love for a stronger heart, and why oranges may help fight obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
For more health information, please see recent studies about simple guide to a 7-day diabetes meal plan, and why you should add black beans to your plate.
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