Researchers have uncovered an unsettling connection between Alzheimer’s disease, gum disease, and a destructive oral bacterium called Porphyromonas gingivalis.
This isn’t just any mouth bacteria. P. gingivalis is considered a major culprit behind chronic periodontitis—the advanced form of gum disease that causes inflamed, bleeding gums and eventually destroys the tissues supporting your teeth.
But researchers found evidence that it may not always stay in your mouth.
What Scientists Found in Alzheimer’s Brains
In a landmark study published in Science Advances, researchers examined brain tissue from people with Alzheimer’s disease and detected P. gingivalis along with its toxic enzymes, known as gingipains.
The numbers were remarkable.
One type of gingipain was detected in 96% of the Alzheimer’s brain samples tested. Another was found in 91%. And the greater the gingipain levels, the greater the amount of certain Alzheimer’s-related brain pathology researchers observed.
Then scientists took the investigation a step further.
When mice were orally infected with P. gingivalis, the bacteria eventually appeared in their brains. The infection was also accompanied by increased production of amyloid-beta 1-42, one of the primary components of the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
When researchers blocked the bacteria’s gingipain enzymes, they reduced the bacterial load in the brain, decreased neuroinflammation, and protected neurons.
Suddenly, the connection between the mouth and the brain became awfully difficult to ignore.
Enter Mastic Gum
Here’s where this gets especially interesting to me.
Mastic gum is a natural resin from the Mediterranean mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) that has been used traditionally for thousands of years.
And researchers have tested it against the very bacterium at the center of this Alzheimer’s research.
In a laboratory study, a mastic gum extract demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against P. gingivalis. The researchers concluded that mastic gum showed potential as a local agent for supporting gum health.
No, that doesn’t mean mastic gum prevents or treats Alzheimer’s disease. What it does give us is another reason to pay attention to the health of our mouths—especially our gums—as part of a much bigger picture of healthy aging.
Simple Biohack: Don’t ignore bleeding or inflamed gums
Brush. Floss. Get regular dental cleanings. And consider adding mastic gum to your oral-health arsenal.
We’ve spent decades thinking about Alzheimer’s as a disease that begins and ends in the brain. Research like this is reminding us that the story may begin much earlier—and much farther away. Your gums may have more to say about the future of your brain than anyone ever imagined.
Where can you find mastic gum?
It’s available in my Fullscript online catalog! Just sign in and type “mastic gum” into the search bar.
Resources include:
Dominy SS, Lynch C, Ermini F, Benedyk M, Marczyk A, Konradi A, Nguyen M, Haditsch U, Raha D, Griffin C, Holsinger LJ, Arastu-Kapur S, Kaba S, Lee A, Ryder MI, Potempa B, Mydel P, Hellvard A, Adamowicz K, Hasturk H, Walker GD, Reynolds EC, Faull RLM, Curtis MA, Dragunow M, Potempa J. Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer’s disease brains: Evidence for disease causation and treatment with small-molecule inhibitors. Sci Adv. 2019 Jan 23;5(1):eaau3333. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau3333. PMID: 30746447; PMCID: PMC6357742.
Sterer N. Antimicrobial effect of mastic gum methanolic extract against Porphyromonas gingivalis. J Med Food. 2006 Summer;9(2):290-2. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2006.9.290. PMID: 16822220.
