Is Acid Reflux Caused By Your Gums?

Is Acid Reflux Caused By Your GumsIs Acid Reflux Caused By Your Gums There are many known contributors to acid reflux, such as being overweight and smoking. However, a new study published in the Journal of Inflammation Research reveals a new cause of acid reflux—one that nobody has thought about before. It is actually a stronger contributor than any previously known factor. It all starts with your gums. The researchers obtained data on almost 58,000 people first collected by the China Lung Health Study. The people were all between the ages of 20 and 89.
The researchers first helped them to complete an acid reflux questionnaire that contained questions about acid reflux, sleep disturbances caused by heartburn, medication use, pain, nausea, etc. They then collected their demographic and lifestyle data, including age, sex, location of residence, smoking, education level, body mass index, tooth brushing habits, and co-occurring conditions, including diabetes, some heart diseases, some lung diseases, cancer, anemia, depression, osteoporosis, and gum disease. Overall, 5.6% of the Chinese population presented with acid reflux. The risk factors for acid reflux that they found; 1. Being female 2. Age 3. Being overweight or obese with a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or more 4. Currently smoking or having smoked previously. 5. An urban rather than rural residence 6. An education level of middle school or below 7. Most of the co-occurring conditions for which they tested 8. Severe gum disease 9. Tooth brushing only once a day. Interestingly, gum disease and infrequent tooth brushing were stronger risk factors than the others on this list were which a novel discovery was. The scientists guessed that this was the case because of all the oral bacteria in the mouth swallowed and passing to the esophagus and stomach, where they cause inflammation.