Health
Treating gum disease could reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes, study suggests
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A deep clean at the dentist may benefit more than just your oral health.
In a two-year study of people with periodontitis or severe gum disease, researchers from University College London (UCL) found that those who got intensive treatment — a full-mouth deep cleaning with regular follow-ups — had slower thickening and clogging of a major neck artery and better blood-vessel function than those who only got routine cleanings.
The randomized controlled trial tracked 135 adults at UCL’s Eastman Dental Institute who had periodontitis, which can stem from poor oral hygiene, genetics, smoking or uncontrolled diabetes, according to the research published this month in the European Heart Journal.
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At 12 and 24 months, participants who received intensive deep cleanings showed less gum inflammation and fewer bacteria entering the bloodstream, and their arteries were healthier than those who got standard scale-and-polish care, which only removes plaque and tartar buildup.
A new study found that deep dental cleanings could benefit heart health. (iStock)
Dr. Marco Orlandi, co-author of the trial, said in a statement that the participants who received the intensive gum disease treatment had a 0.02 millimeter reduction in the thickening of their carotid arteries after two years.
“This is a significant result, as even a 0.01 millimeter reduction corresponds to a 10% decrease in cardiovascular disease risk, suggesting participants reduced their risk by around 10% each year,” Orlandi said.
Doctors track the thickness of the carotid artery wall as an early warning sign for clogged arteries that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. This study didn’t count actual heart events, but the artery changes, along with lower gum inflammation, suggest that improved oral health could help fight cardiovascular disease.
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All participants were otherwise healthy and not taking regular medication, helping researchers isolate the effects of gum disease treatment.
Researchers found that participants who received deep gum cleanings showed slower thickening of the carotid artery. (iStock)
“This is among the most robust evidence to date that oral and cardiovascular health are interconnected,” Professor John Deanfield, lead author of the study and director of cardiovascular prevention at UCL, said in a statement. “Addressing periodontitis could become a powerful tool in preventing serious heart and brain events such as heart attacks and strokes.”
Professor Francesco D’Aiuto, another of the study’s co-authors, added that medical and dental professionals should work more closely in recognizing and addressing the cardiovascular implications of gum disease.
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Periodontitis affects about 40% of adults worldwide and can cause bleeding, swelling and tenderness of the gums and tooth loss if untreated.
“Your gums are part of your vascular system,” Dr. Catrise Austin, a New York City cosmetic dentist and host of the “Let’s Talk Smiles” podcast, told Fox News Digital. “If they’re inflamed and bleeding, your arteries feel it.”
Experts recommend daily brushing, flossing and routine cleanings to reduce inflammation that can affect more than just your mouth. (iStock)
Austin, who was not involved in the study, said the findings are further proof that doctors and cardiologists should start paying closer attention to their patients’ gum health.
“Asking a simple question like, ‘Do your gums bleed when you brush?’ could help identify early signs of systemic inflammation long before more serious health issues arise,” she said.
For patients, she recommends brushing twice daily, flossing daily, getting regular professional cleanings, quitting smoking and managing conditions like diabetes.
“These steps not only protect your smile, they also lower inflammation that contributes to cardiovascular disease,” Austin said.
The study, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the NIHR UCLH Biomedical Research Center in collaboration with University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, adds to a growing body of research linking gum health to overall well-being.
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Earlier this year, an analysis of more than 500,000 people in the U.K. Biobank found that those with signs of gum disease, such as bleeding or painful gums, were more likely to have multiple chronic conditions, from diabetes to heart disease to depression.
The study measured carotid artery thickness, an early sign of heart disease. (iStock)
Much of the previous evidence was correlated, showing that people with gum disease tend to have higher cardiovascular risk, but it did not prove that treating gum disease reduces heart attacks or strokes.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the study’s authors for comment.
Health
Simple daily habit may help ease depression more than medication, researchers say
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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
A new study suggests that exercise can treat depression just as effectively as therapy and antidepressants.
A Cochrane review looked at 73 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 5,000 adults with a depression diagnosis. The studies compared exercise with either other active treatments — such as therapy or medication — or with “inactive interventions,” like being placed on a wait list or in a control group.
The London-based team discovered that exercise may be “moderately effective” compared to no therapy in reducing depression symptoms, according to a press release.
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“There is probably little to no difference in depressive symptoms between people undertaking exercise and those receiving psychological therapy,” the authors noted in a study discussion on Cochrane’s website, and “there may be little to no difference in depressive symptoms between people doing exercise and those taking antidepressants.”
The analysis discovered that exercise may be “moderately effective” compared to no therapy in reducing depression symptoms. (iStock)
The review found that light- to moderate-intensity exercise was more beneficial for easing depression symptoms than vigorous exercise.
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No single type of physical activity stood out as the best, but mixed programs that included resistance training appeared to be “more effective” than just aerobic exercise.
Some forms of exercise, like yoga and stretching, were not included in the analysis, but are areas to be further researched, the review noted.
Mixed exercise programs and resistance training appeared to be “more effective” in easing depression symptoms than just aerobic exercise. (iStock)
Professor Andrew Clegg, lead author of the review, wrote in a statement that exercise “appears to be a safe and accessible option for helping to manage symptoms of depression.”
“This suggests that exercise works well for some people, but not for everyone, and finding approaches that individuals are willing and able to maintain is important,” he said.
Study limitations and risks
The researchers noted that there was a high risk of bias in some of the studies included in the review, and noted that the long-term effects of exercise on depression symptoms remain uncertain.
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Clegg noted that “larger, high-quality studies” are needed to determine which types of exercise work best and whether the benefits last over time.
The comparison between exercise and other treatments and how they benefit people’s quality of life were also “inconsistent and uncertain.”
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“Adverse events from exercise were not common,” the researchers mentioned. “The small number of participants who experienced them usually reported muscle and joint problems or worsening of depression.”
About 21 million U.S. adults had at least one major depressive episode in a recent year — equivalent to roughly 8.3% of all U.S. adults, according to the National Institutes of Health. (iStock)
“Future research should focus on improving the quality of the studies, working out which characteristics of exercise are effective for different people, and ensuring different types of people are included in the studies so that health equity issues can be considered,” they went on.
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About 21 million U.S. adults had at least one major depressive episode in a recent year — equivalent to roughly 8.3% of all U.S. adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Depression symptoms include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, guilt or irritability, as well as loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities. Fatigue, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, appetite changes and social withdrawal are also red flags, in addition to thoughts about dying or suicidal ideations.
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The condition is most often treated by antidepressant medications and psychological therapies, such as talk therapy. Anyone who needs help should consult their doctor.
Health
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Health
Researchers locked flu patients in a hotel with healthy adults — no one got sick
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With an aggressive new strain spreading across the country, this year’s flu season has been marked by record-high hospitalizations and reportedly intense symptoms.
As people look for ways to contain the spread, new research has found that a few simple factors can greatly reduce transmission.
Researchers from the University of Maryland Schools of Public Health and Engineering in College Park and the School of Medicine in Baltimore studied influenza spread by placing flu-positive college students in a hotel room with healthy middle-aged adult volunteers.
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The study, published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, is reportedly the first clinical trial investigating how the flu spreads from naturally infected people to uninfected people, according to a press release.
The participants, including 11 healthy volunteers, lived on a quarantined floor of a Baltimore-area hotel for two weeks. During that time, they simulated interactions, including having conversations, doing physical activities like yoga, and passing around objects like pens and tablets from infected people to the rest of the group.
New research has experts questioning how the flu spreads through airborne transmission. (iStock)
Researchers monitored the participant’s symptoms, performed daily nasal swabs, and collected saliva and blood samples to test for antibodies, the release stated.
The study also measured the “viral exposure” in the volunteers’ breathing air and ambient air in the activity room. The exhaled breath of the participants was measured by a machine called the Gesundheit II, invented by researcher Dr. Donald Milton and colleagues at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
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At the end of the experiment, none of the healthy individuals had become infected with the flu due to a variety of factors. This included a lack of coughing, as the infected students were holding “a lot of virus in their noses” and only small amounts were “expelled into the air,” the researchers noted.
Researchers said proper ventilation was a major factor in halting flu spread in this study. (iStock)
“Our data suggests key things that increase the likelihood of flu transmission — coughing is a major one,” Dr. Jianyu Lai, post-doctoral research scientist and the study’s lead data analyst and report writer, shared in a statement.
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The other factor was ventilation and air movement, as the air in the study room was “continually mixed rapidly by a heater and dehumidifier, and so the small amounts of virus in the air were diluted,” Lai pointed out.
The researcher added that middle-aged adults are “usually less susceptible” to influenza than younger adults.
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Most researchers assume that airborne transmission is a major factor of disease spread, according to Dr. Donald Milton, professor at SPH’s Department of Global, Environmental and Occupational Health and a global infectious disease aerobiology expert.
“At this time of year, it seems like everyone is catching the flu virus, and yet our study showed no transmission,” he said in the same press release. “What does this say about how flu spreads and how to stop outbreaks?”
There have been 81,000 flu-related hospitalizations and more than 3,000 deaths in the U.S. this year so far, data shows. (iStock)
Milton, who was reportedly among the first experts to identify how to stop the spread of COVID-19, noted that findings from these types of trials are essential to updating international infection-control guidelines.
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“Being up close, face-to-face with other people indoors where the air isn’t moving much, seems to be the most risky thing — and it’s something we all tend to do a lot,” he said.
“At this time of year, it seems like everyone is catching the flu virus, and yet our study showed no transmission.”
“Our results suggest that portable air purifiers that stir up the air, as well as clean it, could be a big help,” Milton suggested. “But if you are really close and someone is coughing, the best way to stay safe is to wear a mask, especially the N95.”
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Approximately 11 million flu illnesses and about 5,000 deaths have occurred so far in the 2025-2026 influenza season, according to CDC data. A large share of the current flu cases are caused by the new influenza A subclade K variant.
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