The fats (lipids) that block arteries – which begins the process known as atherosclerosis, the hardening and thickening of arteries that can cause heart attacks and stroke – don’t look like anything from animal or dairy produce, say researchers from the University of Connecticut. Instead they have all the hallmarks of lipids that originate from a specific family of bacteria that are most commonly found in our gums.
The bacteria, Bacteroidetes, shed lipids that are very distinctive – and because they are seen as alien by our immune system, our immune cells are sticking to blood vessel walls as a form of protection, and this could be the reason why arteries start to clog.
This also triggers the production of enzymes that break down Bacteroidetes, and this process kick-starts an inflammatory reaction – which is why heart disease is often seen as a disease of inflammation.
But the bacteria aren’t from cholesterol-rich foods such as meat and dairy – instead, they are from our gums, the researchers think.
If so, it would certainly explain why it is that gum disease and heart problems seem to go hand-in-hand.
(Source: Journal of Lipid Research, 2017; 58: 1999)
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