Dr. Jeremy London, a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon with over 25 years of clinical experience has given some tips to help keep your heart healthy, and one of them in particular has caught peoples attention.
The cardiovascular surgeon who has spend more than 25 years in the field, repairing clogged arteries and helping keep people ticking is now advising readers to steer away from alcohol-based mouthwash.
But if your wondering 'what if I spit and not swallow', there's some bad news.
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According to Dr London, it's not accidentally swallowing some of the mouthwash that's the issue, instead it's the impact that it has on bacteria in your mouth that can contribute to issues with your hearth health.
Good bacteria exists in everyone's mouth, which in turn helps the body to produce nitric oxide, which is needed to help dilate blood vessels and help make sure that your blood pressure remains stable.
The problem is, while alcohol-based mouthwash is great at clearing away all the bad bacteria in your mouth, it also wipes out all the good bacteria too, killing all the beneficial bugs.
Dr London states that there is 'unequivocal evidence' that 'you can actually increase your blood pressure simply by killing the bacteria in the mouth.' He follows on to say: “And if you have a propensity to having high blood pressure, that can even be worse.”
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Dr London isn't the first specialist to comment on this either. In an interview with today.com, a dentist stated that using an antiseptic mouthwash that changes the oral microbiome is one of the biggest mistakes he sees patients make.
Before you go ditching the mouthwash, his advice only states that alcohol-based mouthwash puts you at risk. While non-alcohol-based mouthwash might not be as effective at cleaning, at least you know it's not likely to cause issues for your heart.
What else does Dr London suggest?
As well as warning away from alcohol-based mouthwash, Dr London also suggested a number of other tips to help make sure you keep your heart healthy, including:
- Not smoking or vaping
- Avoiding alcohol
- Avoid high-calorie soft drinks
- Avoid foods made with refined flour
- Avoid ultra-processed food
While some of the changes he's made might be harder than others, the more you can tick off the box, the healthier your heart is likely to be.
You can see his full list of recommendations, as well as the reasons why he suggests making these lifestyle changes in his Instagram video.
Kegan Mooney