Physical education and microflora
Mouthwash reduced the benefits of exercise
Denis Gordeev, Naked Science
A study conducted by scientists from the University of Plymouth together with colleagues from the Center for Genome Regulation, Barcelona, examines the mechanism of formation of a decrease in blood pressure after exercise and the role of oral bacteria in it. The work was published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine (Cutler et al., Post-exercise hypotension and skeletal muscle oxygenation is regulated by nitrate-reducing activity of oral bacteria).
During training, the vessels expand: the incoming nitric oxide causes relaxation of the smooth muscles of the vessels, thereby increasing their diameter. This increases the blood supply to actively working muscles. After the load, the blood circulation remains intense, and the vessels are dilated, because of this, the pressure decreases. This effect, known as post-workout hypotension, which is important for the recovery period after training and gaining muscle mass, turned out to be more complicated than previously thought.
In previous studies, it was assumed that nitric oxide is included only in the mechanism of vascular work during training, but not after it. It was also previously believed that the product of its decomposition – nitrate – does not participate in the management of these reactions. However, recent studies have shown that nitrates are excreted from the body by the salivary glands.
In order for nitric oxide to be released more efficiently, it is necessary that nitrogen nitrites enter the body. These compounds, as previously assumed, were obtained from the decomposition of nitric oxide itself, secreted by vascular endothelial cells directly during exercise.
It turned out that the bulk of nitrites is obtained thanks to microorganisms living in the mouth of a healthy person. Oral bacteria process nitrates and secrete nitrites into saliva. Swallowing saliva, a person also receives nitrites, which are quickly absorbed and included in the process of blood circulation.
Antibacterial mouthwashes disrupt this chain and lead to a deterioration of the recovery period after exercise. To test this hypothesis, the authors conducted an experiment.
The double-blind cross-sectional study involved 23 healthy volunteers without oral diseases. They trained on the treadmill for half an hour, then rinsed their mouths a minute after jogging, after 30 minutes, an hour and a half. The participants' blood pressure was measured, blood samples were taken before the exercises and two hours after. During the entire observation period, it was forbidden to eat or drink anything other than water. Participants were given an antibacterial rinse or a placebo rinse that was harmless to bacteria.
It turned out that an hour after training, the effect of reducing pressure was 60% worse when rinsing with an antibacterial agent compared to a placebo, and after two hours it completely disappeared. In addition, the level of nitrites in the blood increased after physical exertion only in those who rinsed their mouths with placebo.
The results of the work indicate that when planning physical exercises, it is important to properly care for the oral cavity. In addition, like many studies in related fields, these data show that antibacterial agents should be used with great caution, and risks from their use may arise in completely unexpected areas.
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