Mouthwash can raise blood pressure by disrupting natural bacteria
Physiological role for nitrate-reducing oral bacteria in blood pressure control
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Blood pressure increased within 1 day of using mouthwash and stayed elevated for the entire 7-day period
Most people assume health effects from mouthwash would take weeks or months to show, but this study shows immediate physiological changes.
Practical Takeaways
Consider using alcohol-free or non-antiseptic mouthwash if you're concerned about blood pressure, or use mouthwash only when medically necessary (e.g., gum disease treatment).
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Blood pressure increased within 1 day of using mouthwash and stayed elevated for the entire 7-day period
Most people assume health effects from mouthwash would take weeks or months to show, but this study shows immediate physiological changes.
Practical Takeaways
Consider using alcohol-free or non-antiseptic mouthwash if you're concerned about blood pressure, or use mouthwash only when medically necessary (e.g., gum disease treatment).
Publication
Journal
Free Radical Biology & Medicine
Year
2013
Authors
V. Kapil, S. Haydar, Vanessa Pearl, J. Lundberg, E. Weitzberg, A. Ahluwalia
Related Content
Claims (10)
Bacteria in the mouth help regulate blood pressure by converting nitrate to nitrite, which is part of the body's natural blood pressure control system.
Using a special mouthwash for a week killed some good bacteria in the mouth, which made less nitrite in saliva and blood, and this caused blood pressure to go up a little bit.
Good bacteria in the mouth turn nitrate into nitrite, and when you kill these bacteria with mouthwash, this conversion stops almost completely.
When people used the special mouthwash, their blood pressure went up within one day and stayed higher for the whole week they used it.
When nitrite levels in the blood went down after using mouthwash, blood pressure went up, and this connection was strong enough to be statistically significant.