How oral bacteria endanger the heart

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

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Countless bacteria cavort in the mouth. Some of them are constantly secreting fat molecules. They could be dangerous to the blood vessels and thus also to the heart.

High blood lipid levels are risky: the fats are deposited on the inner walls of the arteries. There they form so-called plaques, which become bottlenecks and provoke inflammatory reactions. The vessels then gradually stiffen. Doctors speak of arteriosclerosis. It is the skin risk factor for a heart attack or stroke.

Contrary to what has long been believed, unfavorable fats from food only play a subordinate role in this process. Rather, factors such as lack of physical activity, smoking or being overweight, but also genetic predisposition, are decisive. Scientists have now stumbled upon another piece of the puzzle that could play a role in the development of arteriosclerosis: fats that are produced by certain bacteria in the mouth and intestines.

Telltale fat

Frank Nichols and his colleagues at the University of Connecticut had examined the plaques in the blood vessels of various hospital patients. In it they came across unusual fats with a specific chemical structure that is not found in humans or animals. In fact, these fats come from a special family of bacteria, the Bacteriodetes.

“They are constantly secreting small bubbles of fat that look like grapes,” says study leader Frank Nichols. The fat droplets can easily penetrate the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.

Fatal reaction

Immune cells located in the vessel walls recognize the bacterial fats as foreign, interpret this as an indication of a bacterial infection and sound the alarm. This triggers an inflammatory chain reaction that is harmful to the blood vessels in the long term. Enzymes break down the bacterial fats into their components. But that makes the situation even worse: The building blocks from the fats serve as building material for molecules that fuel the inflammatory reactions even further.

Bad gums, diseased blood vessels

In fact, it has long been known that people who suffer from gingivitis are at greater risk of developing arteriosclerosis. The bacterial fats that have now been detected apparently play a key role. Good oral hygiene and, if necessary, thorough treatment of inflammation of the gums protects not only the teeth, but also the blood vessels.

Atherosclerosis is a gradual process. Although it begins in youth until the consequences are noticeable, it takes several decades. In people over 80 years of age, one can always assume that there is calcification of the vessels.

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