The bacteria living in our mouths help our bodies use important nutrients from food.
High blood pressure is a major cause of heart disease and stroke, so scientists are always looking for simple ways to improve blood vessel health. Vegetables such as beetroot, spinach, kale and rocket naturally contain large amounts of nitrate.
After these foods are eaten, helpful bacteria in the mouth convert nitrate into nitrite. The body then changes nitrite into nitric oxide, a natural chemical that relaxes blood vessels and helps lower blood pressure.
A new study from King’s College London, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, has discovered an unexpected way to temporarily improve this process. Researchers found that chewing sugary gum after drinking beetroot juice increased nitrite production and slightly lowered blood pressure.
The scientists wanted to know whether making saliva more acidic would help mouth bacteria convert nitrate into nitrite more efficiently. Volunteers completed two study visits. During one visit they drank beetroot juice and chewed sugar-containing gum for several hours.
During another visit they repeated the experiment using sugar-free gum instead. Blood pressure, saliva and blood samples were collected throughout the study.
When participants chewed the sugary gum, their saliva became more acidic. This was linked to a 45% increase in nitrite inside the mouth and a 25% increase in nitrite circulating in the body. Blood pressure also fell by almost 3 mmHg systolic and 2 mmHg diastolic compared with sugar-free gum.
Researchers believe the acidic environment created by the sugary gum helped oral bacteria perform the nitrate-to-nitrite conversion more effectively. Because nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels, producing more nitrite may explain the blood pressure reduction.
The researchers emphasized that people should not begin chewing sugary gum to control blood pressure. The effect lasted only a few hours, while regular sugar consumption increases the risk of tooth decay and other health problems.
Instead, the findings provide proof that improving nitrate conversion may enhance the cardiovascular benefits of nitrate-rich vegetables. Future products may be able to achieve the same effect using sugar-free or tooth-friendly ingredients.
The results may also interest athletes because beetroot juice is already widely used to improve endurance and exercise performance. Improving nitrate conversion may increase these benefits.
This carefully designed crossover study provides interesting evidence that changes inside the mouth can influence blood vessel health. However, it involved healthy volunteers and measured only short-term effects. It does not prove sugary gum is a treatment for hypertension.
Larger studies involving people with high blood pressure and athletes are needed before recommendations can change. Nevertheless, the study highlights the important role of the oral microbiome and may lead to safer ways to increase the benefits of nitrate-rich vegetables.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and natural coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more health information, please see recent studies about added sugar in your diet linked to higher blood pressure, and results showing vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
Source: King’s College London.
