Health
This odd dental habit could spark heart health risks, experts warn
Searches for “tongue scraper” have almost doubled in the last two decades, according to Google Trends. Some experts, however, have warned about potential risks.
The practice of tongue-scraping (or tongue-brushing) has existed as a means of dental health for hundreds of years.
While earlier studies concluded that scraping the tongue can improve one’s sense of taste in as little as two weeks, some have raised concerns about potential heart health risks associated with the practice.
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“There’s always been a strong association between good oral hygiene and heart health,” Dr. Bradley Serwer, an interventional cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, an Ingenovis Health company, told Fox News Digital.
“Gingivitis or a bad gum infection has been known to cause problems with the heart on many different levels,” said the Maryland-based doctor.
Previous studies linked regular tongue scraping with an improved sense of taste. (iStock)
Despite the potential benefits, Serwer and others have warned of a little-known cardiac risk associated with the practice.
What is tongue-scraping?
Tongue-scraping (or brushing) is the process of cleaning the tongue to keep bad bacteria, food debris and dead cells from accumulating on its surface, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Beyond brushing with a toothbrush, specific tongue-scraping tools — available at pharmacies for as little as $8 — offer an easy way to get rid of plaque and other unwanted build-up.
“Brushing is OK to do, but think about it this way — if your carpet is dirty and you scrub it, the dirt’s going to get embedded down in there,” said one dental hygienist. (iStock)
Gentle tongue-scraping performed up to once a day is recommended for adults to help remove bacteria and freshen breath, according to Dr. Whitney White of Aspen Dental.
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“When patients ask, I typically recommend a metal tongue scraper, as they are the best for hygienic reasons to keep clean,” White, who is based in Nevada, told Fox News Digital.
Another expert, Ohio-based dental hygienist Tenika Patterson, told Cleveland Clinic, “Tongue-scraping can do a better job at removing that plaque and bacteria from the tongue’s surface.”
Metal tongue scrapers are best for hygienic purposes, according to a dentist who spoke to Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“Brushing is OK to do, but think about it this way — if your carpet is dirty and you scrub it, the dirt’s going to get embedded down in there,” she said.
“But if you scrape it, it’s going to come right off the surface.”
Link to heart health
The concern with tongue-scraping is that it can cause “macroscopic cuts” on the tongue, which potentially can introduce bacteria into the bloodstream, Serwer cautioned.
Any time bacteria enters the bloodstream, there is an increased risk of endocarditis, which is an infection of the heart valves.
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If left untreated, endocarditis can lead to severe heart damage, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Too much tongue-scraping can lower the body’s nitric oxide levels and increase the risk of issues like high blood pressure, an expert warned. (iStock)
While tongue-scraping can be good for oral health, it’s important not to overdo it, Dr. White advised.
Scraping too much can lower the body’s nitric oxide levels and increase the risk of issues like high blood pressure.
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“While gentle, regular scraping helps remove harmful bacteria, doing it too often or too aggressively can disrupt the balance of good microbes on your tongue — some of which help produce nitric oxide, a compound that’s important for heart health,” White said.
‘Not a substitute’
“The most important thing a person can do is to stay on top of oral hygiene,” Serwer recommended.
“Regular visits to the dentist, brushing and flossing can help ensure healthy gums and teeth.”
While brushing teeth and flossing can also introduce bacteria, those are outweighed by the benefits of maintaining healthy gums, experts agree. (iStock)
While brushing teeth and flossing can also introduce bacteria, those are outweighed by the benefits of maintaining healthy gums, experts agree.
In contrast, “the benefits of tongue scraping are quite minimal,” Serwer said.
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For those who wish to continue tongue-scraping, White emphasized that less can be more.
“Since your oral health is connected to your overall health, it’s best to scrape your tongue in moderation to keep both your mouth and body in balance,” she advised.
“However, it is not a necessary step in your oral health routine, and should not be a substitute for twice-daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste and daily flossing.”
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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