Good oral hygiene decreases the risk of bowel cancer
Researchers believe that maintain the risk of bowel cancer could be decreased by maintaining good oral hygiene.
A new study undertaken by a team of researchers from Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health has shown that taking good care of your teeth and gums could also have a positive impact on your general health.
Researchers believe that harmful microbes, which may travel from the mouth to the gut, can bind to precancerous growths, causing them to become malignant. There is also a suggestion that the microbes may cause tumours in the bowel to increase in size.
Scientists have been trying to establish how certain streams of bacteria travel around the body. One theory suggests that harmful bacteria can reach the gut via the bloodstream as a result of bleeding gums, which are a tell-tale sign of gum disease.
The Harvard researchers discovered that the bacteria contain protein, which enables them to bind onto sugar molecules. These molecules cling to polyps, non-cancerous growths, in addition to tumours located in the bowel. The anaerobic bacteria don’t need oxygen to survive, and can thrive in the bowel. Once the molecules are bound to the cancerous cells, they encourage growth, causing the tumour to expand.
Co-author of the study, Wendy Garrett, explained that a better understanding of the “mechanisms” and movement of bacteria may result in fewer people developing cancerous tumours. Bowel cancer affects around 1 in 20 people, and Dr Garrett believes that the findings of the study could also be useful in developing effective treatments. The study shows the importance of targeting bacteria with have sugar-binding proteins. Destroying these bonds could help to prevent bowel cancer from becoming more aggressive.
