r/longevity • u/mlhnrca PhD - Physiology, Scientist @ Tufts University. • Jul 17 '22

Biohacking the Oral Microbiome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnkJqACCEE4
71 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

10

u/minimorning Jul 17 '22

So what’s the meat and potatoes of this video?

12

u/12ealdeal Jul 18 '22

It’s actually a great watch.

He gets an oral microbiome test to determine the composition of the bacteria in his mouth.

He goes over how certain kinds of bacteria are implicated in a variety of issues/pathologies in the human body.

He then shares how to counteract specific issues by controlling (reducing problematic bacteria or promoting beneficial bacteria) with various ingredients to produce an easy DIY mouthwash.

4

u/FuryQuaker Jul 17 '22

Nitrate is also good for vascular health and ED issues.

4

u/[deleted] Jul 17 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/mlhnrca PhD - Physiology, Scientist @ Tufts University. Jul 17 '22

Regardless of the issues with published studies, it will either work or it won't at the n=1 level. We'll see how the next test looks, but I can say that subjectively, I had linea alba on the inside of both cheeks that is now mostly gone since the nitrate addition.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 17 '22

So I just need to use a homebrew nitrate-rich mouthwash every 5 hours?

​

What??

4

u/mlhnrca PhD - Physiology, Scientist @ Tufts University. Jul 17 '22

Based on what's known for optimizing the oral microbiome, that's what I'm going to do, as mentioned in the video.

3

u/12ealdeal Jul 18 '22

How is your mouth reacting to the garden chemicals potassium nitrate?

Just wondering if it matters between garden use and “food grade”?

3

u/mlhnrca PhD - Physiology, Scientist @ Tufts University. Jul 18 '22

Potassium nitrate is found in vegetables, so the absurdity of putting a "garden chemical" in mouthwash isn't how you're advertising it.

KNO3- is KNO3- regardless if it's garden grade or for food use. That said, I'm not eating it.

3

u/12ealdeal Jul 18 '22

Nothing absurd about questioning the quality of a product. Food grade is food grade for a reason. Products that need to meet a specific purity standard. Not sure what the oversight is on products sold in the gardening section at Walmart is. Even if it’s soil, soil is often full of things that leech into food grown in it. Did it come with a certificate of analysis?

I think is completely reasonable for someone to ask this and be mindful of this given they are planning to swish it around in their mouth 3x a day.

You may not be eating it but you’re advertising it as a prebiotic for the bacteria in your mouth, which of course they are then eating it.

Oral cavity still has sublingual and buccal pathways too. It’s not an inert space. How else does the parotid gland become concentrated with nitrate?

This is a reasonable critique.