This simple food adjustment could help protect your brain from dementia

Oral bacteria can have an impact on brain health and diet could help preserve cognitive function.

Bacteria in your mouth can play a surprising role in the health of the brain, potentially influencing the cognitive decline as you age. A new study suggests that a diet rich in nitrates – found in fire vegetables and the Mediterranean diet – could support beneficial oral bacteria linked to better memory and a lower risk of dementia.

A study suggests that microbial ecosystems in our mouths can influence cognitive function as we age. Interventions such as prebiotics, including food nitrates, could help slow the cognitive decline.

About 15% of the elderly undergo a light cognitive impairment (MCI), which is the largest risk factor for dementia or dementia or

“Data-gt-translate-attrattes =” ({“attribute =” “tabindex =” 0 “role =” link “> Alzheimer disease. Previous research has established a link between periodontitis (gum disease) and worsening cognitive function. Scientists have identified two potential ways connecting oral health to brain health:

1. Pathogenic oral bacteria can enter the blood circulation and go to the brain.
2. These harmful bacteria can go beyond the reducing bacteria of nitrates, which play a crucial role in the production of nitric oxide – an essential compound for synaptic plasticity and long -term potentiation in the brain.

Study on oral microbiome and cognitive health

Anni Vanhatalo and his colleagues characterized the oral microbiome of 115 participants, 55 of whom had a slight cognitive impairment. Some participants had the Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) allele, which increases the risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. A relative abundance of gender bacteria Neisseria was associated with better executive function and visual attention within the light cognitive disability group. Among health participants, Neisseria correlated with working memory.

High prevalence of gender bacteria Porphyromonas Slightly planned cognitive impairment status, while Intermedia Prevotella Status predicted apoe4-carrier. According to the authors, the diet can affect the oral microbiome and a diet rich in nitrate (such as the Mediterranean and “food approaches to stop hypertension diets”), promotes bacteria associated with good cognitive results.

Reference: “Biomarkers of oral microbiome and nitric oxide in the elderly suffering from a light cognitive alteration and the apoe4 genotype” of Joanna E happy, Anne Corbett, Clive Ballard, David Vauzour, Byron Creese, Paul G Winyard, Andrew M Jones and Anni Vanhatalo, January 28, 2025, Nexus pnas.
Doi: 10.1093 / PNASNEXUS / PGAE543