How taking care of your teeth could protect your heart and brain health

In recent years, research has suggested a connection between oral bacteria and Alzheimer's disease, raising concerns for those with poor dental health.
With nearly 700 species of bacteria inhabiting the human mouth, experts say maintaining good oral hygiene could benefit both heart and brain health.
There is growing evidence suggesting good oral health could help prevent Alzheimer's disease. One study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that people who flossed regularly had a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's than those who did not.
However, researchers caution there is still limited research. The observational studies do not prove that flossing directly prevents Alzheimer's disease.
"When you think about it, what is poor gum health, poor dental health? It's really a bacterial infection," explained Dr. Celine Gounder, CBS News medical contributor. "When you have chronic infection, chronic inflammation, we know that chronic inflammation increases your risk for heart disease, for cerebrovascular disease, brain disease. It's really important to control these things."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 4 in 10 U.S. adults 30 years or older have some form of periodontal disease.
In addition to causing inflammation, the bacteria associated with gum disease produce enzymes that can be directly toxic to nerves, Gounder said. They also weaken the blood-brain barrier, allowing toxins and other bacteria to enter the brain.
Research shows that these oral bacteria can increase amyloid in the brain — a protein plaque connected with Alzheimer's disease.
The mouth-to-brain pathway occurs when bacteria from dental problems enter the bloodstream.
"When you have gum disease and dental problems, the bacteria in your mouth are getting into the blood, and from the blood, they can travel anywhere, including the heart and the brain," Gounder said.
This bacterial spread isn't a new concern. Before antibiotics became available in the 1800s, dental infections commonly led to heart valve infections and heart failure as bacteria spread through the bloodstream.
While water picks and mouthwash offer some benefits, Gounder emphasized they aren't sufficient replacements for flossing.
"Water picks are better than nothing, but mouthwash is not a substitute ... There is really no replacement for something like flossing," she said.
The National Institutes of Health identifies several signs of gum disease, including red, swollen, or bleeding gums; pain while chewing; persistent bad breath; and loose or sensitive teeth.
For prevention, the NIH recommends brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste, flossing regularly, visiting the dentist twice per year, and avoiding smoking.
The recommendation is to floss once daily, preferably before bed. However, people with gingivitis, receding gums, diabetes or heart disease may benefit from flossing at least twice daily.

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USA Today

3 hours ago

• USA Today

'Killer bees' keep spreading (and killing) across the US

Scientists say the bees' temperament is to ward off predators. But unsuspecting humans will find them to be aggressive, spiteful and terrifying. Africanized honey bees, often called "killer bees," are now found in 13 states and are slowly spreading northward, attacking people, livestock and pets along the way. In the last three months alone, a man mowing his property died after a bee attack, three people were taken to the hospital after tree trimmers disturbed a colony, hikers ran a mile to get away from an agitated hive and a woman and three horses were swarmed by bees spooked by a lawn mower. The horses later died from "thousands" of stings, their owner said. Scientists say the bees' temperament is a defense mechanism to ward off predators – and note that because honey bees die after stinging, they are sacrificing themselves to protect their colony. But to unsuspecting humans, killer bees sure seem aggressive, spiteful and terrifying. They've been known to follow their victims for up to a mile – even following cars and trucks – and can sting through regular beekeeping gear. In the attack on the Texas horses, owner Baillie Hillman said, "they didn't give up." As parts of the west become warmer and drier, it's only going to get worse as the bees' preferred climate moves northward. There's no national database of deaths related to bee stings, but a 2023 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that on average 72 people died a year from hornet, wasp and bee stings. "In Texas, every year there's at least four big (Africanized bee) attacks that make the news," said Juliana Rangel, a professor of apiculture (beekeeping) at Texas A&M University, where they're widespread in the wild. "Killer bees" first made headlines in the 1990s when they began to appear in the United States, spawning alarming news stories and a surge of horror movies such as Deadly Invasion, The Swarm, The Savage Bees. Today, people in the South and the Southwest are learning to live with them, but the danger remains, especially when the highly defensive bees first appear in an area or when people accidentally run into a colony. Africanized honey bees don't survive in areas with cold winters and don't like high levels of rain, making for natural cutoffs in areas where temperatures fall, Rangel said. However in the coming decades, climate change means the bees could potentially move into southeastern Oregon, the western Great Plains and the southern Appalachian mountains, according to research published in 2014. "By 2050 or so, with increasing temperatures, we're going to see northward movement, mostly in the Western half of the country," said Rangel. How dangerous are Africanized honey bees? Africanized honey bees don't have more, or more potent, venom than Western honey bees. "The stings feel the same," said Rangel. What differentiates them is the numbers a colony sends out to attack. While each bee can only sting once before it dies, a colony of Africanized honey bees will send out proportionally more bees in a defensive response, leading to more stings. "If I'm working around one of my European honey bee colonies and I knock on it with a hammer, it might send out five to ten individuals to see what's going on. They would follow me perhaps as far as my house and I might get stung once," said Ellis. "If I did the same thing with an Africanized colony, I might get 50 to 100 individuals who would follow me much farther and I'd get more stings. It's really an issue of scale," he said. Africanized honey bees are also much more sensitive to potential threats. "You could be mowing a lawn a few houses away and just the vibrations will set them off," Rangel said. There are multiple reports of people cutting into colonies when trimming trees, clearing brush or doing landscaping. In some cases tree trimmers set off an attack merely by throwing a rope over a branch. In toxicology, researchers speak of the LD50, the lethal dose required to kill 50% of those exposed to it, said Rangel. For honeybee stings, it's calculated at about 9 stings per pound of weight. So half of people who weigh 150 pounds might die if they got 1,350 stings. That's unlikely with Western honey bees, but can happen with Africanized bees. In 2022, an Ohio man suffered 20,000 bee stings when cutting tree branches. He survived but only after being put in a medically-induced coma. What states have Africanized honeybees? At least 13 state have reported Africanized honeybees. In the south, southern Florida has the highest numbers. "From Tampa to Orlando to Daytona, south of that a large percentage of the feral bee population are of African decent. North of that we don't have much," said Ellis. Africanized bees have also been reported in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, though they don't seem to thrive in those wetter environments as much. The bees have found a natural home in the Southwest, in part because the landscape is much like the arid and semi-arid parts of Africa they're originally from. Feral colonies are common in southern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and especially Texas. They've also been seen in southwest Arkansas, southern Utah and about two-thirds of Oklahoma, said Szalanski. Where did killer bees get their killer instincts? There are around 20,000 species of bees on the planet and only 12 of them are honey bees. Of those, 11 are found in Asia and only one in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It is called Apis mellifera, the Western honey bee, said Jamie Ellis, a professor of honey bee research at the University of Florida. There are multiple subspecies of Apis mellifera. It was one of these, the East African lowland honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata), that was imported to Brazil in the 1950s. In the areas where East African lowland honey bees live, they have many predators so they've evolved to be more defensive, said Ellis. "They're not really aggressive, they're not just looking for a fight," he said. "They're just trying to communicate that, 'You are too close to us. We don't want you here – go away.'" That can feel pretty scary when they're coming after you, said Rangel. She's done research on bees in Belize, where people keep hives far from their homes and livestock and put on their protective beekeeping clothing in their trucks before getting out near a hive. "They can pursue you in your vehicle for a mile," she said "The only thing preventing them from killing you is the veil. It's like a cloud of bees that all want to sting you. It's scary." How did Africanized honey bees get to the United States? Africanized honeybees are a cross between Western honey bees, from Europe and the East African lowland honey bee. They first occurred in 1956, when a prominent Brazilian geneticist, Warwick Kerr, brought African bees to Brazil to hybridize them with Western honey bees from Europe, which didn't do well there. His plan was to breed bees that were better adapted to Brazil's climate while retaining the gentleness and high honey-producing traits of the Western honey bees. He didn't get the chance. A year later, 26 Africanized queen bees were accidentally released into a nearby forest, where they thrived, said Kirk Visscher, an emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Riverside. "The beekeeping industry in those areas is now far more vital than it was – they just have mean bees," he said. That hybrid between the two subspecies, called Africanized honey bees, began to make its way north, arriving in south Texas in 1990. "They spread a lot quicker than what people thought was possible. They never thought they could get from Brazil to Texas in a span of less than 40 years," said Allen Szalanski, a professor of entomology at the University of Arkansas. "But they did." The two bee subspecies are impossible to differentiate without either DNA analysis or careful observation of their wing vein patterns. It is their behavior that sets them apart. Most of the danger is from feral hives in the wild. Beekeepers carefully manage their hives to keep Africanized queens out. Because bees are so critical to agriculture, the movement of bees is regulated in many states. Most have a bee inspector to oversee the process. Currently a total of 38 states regulate the movement of honey bees within the United States and require a permit or health certificate to do so. Four states, Arizona, Kansas, North Dakota and Oregon, have no regulations on the movement of bees, according to research published in 2022. Another eight states have no regulations requiring permits or health certificates for the interstate movement of bees. Africanized honey bees aren't all bad Scientists who study bees emphasize that while Africanized honey bees are more defensive, they hold a lot of promise for overall honey bee health because they're more pest and disease resistant and are very genetically diverse. That's important because honey bees play a critical role in agriculture and the environment and have been subject to large die-offs in the past two decades. In 2017, one-third of the nation's hives perished. Breeding and even gene manipulation could result in better – and gentler – bees, said Ellis. "Although they have heightened defensive behaviors, science may be able to maximize their positive traits and minimize their negative traits," he said. What should you do if you encounter an Africanized honeybee hive? Because of their highly defensive nature, if you encounter aggressive bees, the best response is to leave – fast. "Get away as quickly as possible. Don't jump in water, don't swat with your arms. Just run away as as fast as you can," said Ellis. "You might want to pull your shirt up around your nose and mouth to protect against stings that could cause swelling of your airway." In general, the biggest threats are to tethered or penned livestock and pets that can't get away as well as humans using heavy equipment who accidentally get too close to a hive without being able to hear the angry buzzing of the bees. Once you've evacuated the area, call for professional help. "If you're in a rural area, it's very likely these bees have been Africanized," said Rangel. Nobody should try to deal with a colony on their own "just to save a few bucks," she said. "You don't want to mess with them."

Chicago Tribune

15 hours ago

• Chicago Tribune

US measles count now tops 1,200 cases, and Iowa announces an outbreak

The U.S. logged fewer than 20 measles cases this week, though Iowa announced the state's first outbreak Thursday and Georgia confirmed its second Wednesday. There have been 1,214 confirmed measles cases this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Health officials in Texas, where the nation's biggest outbreak raged during the late winter and spring, confirmed six cases in the last week. There are three other major outbreaks in North America. The longest, in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 2,179 cases from mid-October through June 17. The province logged its first death June 5 in a baby who got congenital measles but also had other preexisting conditions. Another outbreak in Alberta, Canada, has sickened 996 as of Thursday. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had 2,335 measles cases and four deaths as of Friday, according to data from the state health ministry. Other U.S. states with active outbreaks — which the CDC defines as three or more related cases — include Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota and Oklahoma. In the U.S., two elementary school-aged children in the epicenter in West Texas and an adult in New Mexico have died of measles this year. All were unvaccinated. Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the USMeasles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000. There are a total of 750 cases across 35 counties, most of them in West Texas, state health officials said Tuesday. Throughout the outbreak, 97 people have been hospitalized. State health officials estimated less than 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — are actively infectious. Fifty-five percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 413 cases since late January — just under 2% of its residents. The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of 'what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.' A unvaccinated child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6. New Mexico held steady Friday with a total of 81 cases. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Sandoval County near Albuquerque has six cases, Eddy County has three, Doña Ana County has two. Chaves, Curry and San Juan counties have one each. An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care. Oklahoma added one case Friday for a total of 17 confirmed and three probable cases. The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases. Arizona has four cases in Navajo County. They are linked to a single source, the county health department said June 9. All four were unvaccinated and had a history of recent international travel. Colorado has seen a total of 16 measles cases in 2025, which includes one outbreak of 10 related cases. The outbreak is linked to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport in mid-May. Four of the people were on the flight with the first case — an out-of-state traveler not included in the state count — while five got measles from exposure in the airport and one elsewhere. Health officials are also tracking an unrelated case in a Boulder County resident. The person was fully vaccinated but had 'recently traveled to Europe, where there are a large number of measles cases,' the state health department said. Other counties that have seen measles this year include Archuleta and Pueblo. Georgia has an outbreak of three cases in metro Atlanta, with the most recent infection confirmed Wednesday. The state has confirmed six total cases in 2025. The remaining three are part of an unrelated outbreak from January. Illinois health officials confirmed a four-case outbreak on May 5 in the far southern part of the state. It grew to eight cases as of June 6, but no new cases were reported in the following weeks, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The state's other two cases so far this year were in Cook County, and are unrelated to the southern Illinois outbreak. Illinois unveils online tool showing measles vaccination rates by schoolIowa has had six total measles cases in 2025. Four are part of an outbreak in eastern Johnson County, among members of the same household. County health officials said the people are isolating at home, so they don't expect additional spread. Kansas has a total of 79 cases across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. All but three of the cases are connected, and most are in Gray County. Montana had 22 measles cases as of Friday. Fourteen were in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed up — Montana's first in 35 years. Flathead and Yellowstone counties had two cases each, and Hill County had four cases. There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. North Dakota, which hadn't seen measles since 2011, was up to 34 cases as of June 6, but has held steady since. Two of the people have been hospitalized. All of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated. There were 16 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state, there were 10 cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, had one case. Measles cases also have been reported this year in Alaska, Arkansas, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Health officials declared earlier outbreaks in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania over after six weeks of no new cases. Tennessee's outbreak also appears to be over. Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC said in May that more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last year. Most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don't need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from 'killed' virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. People who have documentation that they had measles are immune and those born before 1957 generally don't need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have 'presumptive immunity.' Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to 'herd immunity.' But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. There's no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.

Business Insider

a day ago

• Business Insider

It's not just for gyms bros — scientists say a 50-cent muscle-building supplement slows aging and may counteract Alzheimer's

Creatine — long beloved by gym rats who mix it into protein shakes — is shaping up to be much more than a muscle building and fat loss supplement. Mounting research suggests it may also boost heart health, protect against Alzheimer's, improve mood, and strengthen your bones. While researchers typically have a healthy mistrust of supplements, creatine is the rare exception, recommended even among skeptical scientists and doctors: it's reliably safe, relatively inexpensive, and backed by extensive, high-quality studies. And it costs, on average, less than 50 cents per serving. "I don't know if there's anything on the planet that comes close to creatine from a multifactorial approach," Darren Candow, a top creatine researcher and professor of exercise physiology, nutrition and aging at Regina University in Canada, told Business Insider. Over the past decade, interest in creatine has skyrocketed, in tandem with research showing it can double up as a longevity supplement. As of May, the US creatine market is worth $456.6 million, up 36% from the prior year, according to data and analytics company Spins. "As much as we can define a longevity supplement at this point, creatine is probably one of the best in that category," Jordan Glen, supplement researcher and chief science officer for health startup SuppCo., an app that helps users find the right supplements for their goals, told Business Insider. Creatine drives your muscles to push harder without getting tired Creatine was first discovered in muscle tissue in 1832. Nearly a century later, scientists started to figure out how it's stored and used for energy in the human body. They experimented with extracting creatine from meat and later synthesizing it in a lab. But it wasn't until the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 that creatine went mainstream. The British gold-medal sprinters, sharing how they got in shape, gushed about the powerful effects of a little-known supplement: creatine. In 1993, the first commercial creatine hit store shelves, and sales boomed. Creatine is a raw material for producing ATP, a molecule that gives our cells energy. The majority of creatine is stored in the muscles, where it offers a ready fuel source for high-intensity effort. More creatine can improve strength and muscle gains by providing a bit more energy, helping you push a little bit harder and work out for longer before getting tired. Our bodies naturally produce creatine through a combination of amino acids. That's only a small amount, though. We can get more of it from some foods like red meat and fish — or, through supplements. In the past five years, demand for creatine as a fitness aid has spiked, with retail prices up 150% and sales increased by 90% year over year, despite steadily rising costs. And it's not just for muscle-hungry gym bros. While men continue to make up the majority of creatine users, about 21% of the creatine buyers are women, according to data from nationwide supplement retailers The Vitamin Shoppe. At SuppCo, both Glen, the CSO, and Steve Martocci, the CEO, said their wives have recently started taking creatine — reflecting a broader trend of women as a growing consumer base. What changed? Martocci pointed to more evidence dispelling the myth that creatine is just for muscle men to bulk up. Plus, early research suggests creatine can support hormonal health for women, helping to counteract shifts that can occur during the menstrual cycle by helping to maintain levels of glycogen in the muscle for better energy and performance. Creatine slows aging and boosts brain health, per new research In June, a small study found that patients with Alzheimer's disease saw a boost to their cognitive function after supplementing creatine. "We think that just providing more energy to the brain could be useful," Scott Forbes, a sports science researcher and professor at Brandon University who was not involved in the study, told Business Insider. "The brain actually uses about 20% of your total energy expenditure, even though it only weighs about 2% of your body weight. So for a tissue, it's very energetically demanding," Forbes said. Creatine also seems to have an anti-inflammatory effect, making the brain more resilient against stresses that would wear down its ability to perform. "We know that too much inflammation or too much oxidative stress can also lead to poor cognition or poor brain functions," Forbes said. Other recent studies have found that supplementing creatine could also help to mitigate the effects of aging or a concussion. "The theory is that the brain can remodel itself or at least maintain its function during times of stress," Candow, the aging researcher at Regina University, told Business Insider. "I don't know anybody in the world that's not stressed." The new research is expanding creatine's reach to consumers beyond the gym, according to Muriel Gonzalez, president of nationwide supplement retailer The Vitamin Shoppe. "Creatine is undergoing a major transformation — from a niche sports nutrition supplement to a versatile tool for daily health and longevity," Gonzalez told Business Insider over email. Total creatine sales have spiked by 300% from 2019 to 2024 at The Vitamin Shoppe, and are continuing to grow at a double-digit pace, according to company data. Should you be taking creatine? You'll be disappointed if you expect to transform your life, and health, with a few doses of creatine. A supplement can provide a boost but ultimately makes a relatively small difference. Your overall diet, exercise, and lifestyle are far more important. Still, the bottom line is that more and more research supports taking creatine for a huge range of benefits, with very little downside. "I think almost everybody should consider taking creatine," Forbes, the science researcher at Brandon University, said. Even in high doses over a long time period, side effects are mild, such as gastrointestinal upset and a slight increase in water retention, since creatine pulls water into the muscles. "Overall it's one of the safest supplements out there," Eric Gonzalez, a neuroscience professor at Texas Christian University who has studied creatine, told Business Insider. "If anyone wants to go on a supplement, creatine won't hurt you, there's only going to be an upside." If you're losing weight — including those on a GLP-1 drug that triggers weight loss — creatine can help you retain muscle mass, promoting a higher ratio of muscle to body fat. For those looking to boost brain health or mood, early studies suggest that 10-30 grams a day may be beneficial. Glen previously conducted research on senior Olympians who took creatine and found it helped them get stronger and faster while avoiding age-related decline. "We're never too old to take creatine," he said.