[ad_1]
Exercise is known to trigger an effect of lowering blood pressure in the hours following physical activity, but this benefit can be greatly reduced by the use of a mouthwash antibacterial commonly available. The results come from a study from the University of Plymouth, where researchers studied two groups of people who were exercising, one with an antibacterial mouthwash and the other with ordinary water flavored with mint.
Lowering high blood pressure is essential to health because it is an essential preventative measure to help protect against cardiovascular disease and several other potential conditions. According to the American Heart Association, a number of lifestyle changes could be recommended to fight high blood pressure, including the reduction of salt intake and physical activity.
The recently published study explains how exercise triggers this "post exercise hypotension," a refined term for the drop in blood pressure seen after exercise. Nitric oxide causes dilation of the blood vessels, which increases blood flow to the muscles used during exercise. Nitric oxide degrades to nitrate, which, it turns out, can play an important role in the effects of blood pressure triggered by exercise.
The salivary glands in the mouth can absorb the nitrate produced by the breakdown of nitric oxide. Nitrate is found in saliva, where it is exposed to certain beneficial bacteria present in the mouth. These bacterial species are able to convert the nitrate back into nitrite, after which it is swallowed. The molecules then return to the circulation as nitric oxide, which increases the dilation of the blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.
The researchers behind this study sought to determine whether the use of an antibacterial mouthwash could be sufficiently harmful for bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrite to affect the benefits of exercise on blood pressure. To determine this, the team asked 23 healthy adults to run on a treadmill for half an hour twice.
After each session, the researchers monitored the participants for two hours, during which time they were told to rinse their mouths with an antibacterial mouthwash containing 0.2% chlorhexidine or peppermint-scented regular water.
Blood and saliva samples were taken before exercise and again two hours after exercise. Blood pressure measurements were also taken. The scientists found that participants who were administered a mouthwash had an average decrease in systolic blood pressure of -2.0 mmHg one hour after exercise. However, participants who were given mint water experienced a mean decrease greater than -5.2 mmHg.
Craig Cutler, co-author of the study, explained:
In fact, it's as if the mouth bacteria were the "key" to open the blood vessels. If removed, it is impossible to produce nitrite and the vessels remain in their current state. Existing studies show that, aside from exercise, antibacterial mouthwash can actually increase resting blood pressure. This study therefore followed and showed the impact of mouthwash on the effects of exercise.
[ad_2]
Source link