The natural flora on our tongue (lingual bacteria) are essential for the athletic performance-enhancing effect of the nitrates in vegetables such as beetroot.
Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash
Doctor's Note
If you’re asking yourself, “What beet-related boost in athletic performance?” you may have missed the first video in this series, Doping With Beet Juice. And if the whole “nitrate to nitrite double pass” is a mystery to you, then check out Priming the Proton Pump. If you’re thinking, “Wait a second, aren’t nitrites the preservatives in cured meats that cause cancer?” then you’re way ahead of me—stay tuned to the 14 following videos in this series!
For more context, check out my associated blog posts: Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance; Tea and Flouride Risk; and Breast Cancer & Alcohol: How Much Is Safe?
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If you’re asking yourself “what beet-related boost in athletic performance?” you may have missed the first video in this series Doping with beet juice. And if the whole “nitrate to nitrite double pass” is a mystery to you, then check out yesterday’s video. If you’re thinking “wait a second, aren’t nitrites the preservatives in cured meats that cause cancer?” then you’re way ahead of me—stay tuned to the 14 following videos in this series and feel free in the meantime to check out the hundreds of other videos on 1000+ topics.
Hi there dr. Michael!
Very helpful information. Loved It .
What os your opinion about toothpaste?
All best,
Hi there Matheus,
I am a volunteer for Dr. Greger. Thank you so much for your question.
Dr. Greger has several videos on toothpaste. If you search “toothpaste” in the search bar on NutritionFacts.org, you’ll see a few. Here are a couple:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-capb-in-sls-free-toothpaste-any-better/
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/antibacterial-toothpaste-harmful-helpful-or-harmless/
Hope that helps answer your question!
Amazing how important bacteria are proving to be!
Should I stop rinsing my mouth with salt water (which I find soothing to my gums) or stop chewing xylitol-flavored gum, which is supposed to kill bacteria?
Are there any safe mouthwashes. I use ACT restorative. Is it harmful and kill helpful bacteria?
Would this avoidance of antibacterial products include the triclosan often used in toothpaste? Should we all go back to brushing our teeth with baking soda?
That is not necessary. If you brush your teeth at night, you will wake up in the morning with bad breath because the bacteria have recolonized. It is relatively easy to reacquire mouth flora. I just don’t brush my teeth in the morning if i plan on hard physical activity that day.
seriously? Not even brushing with baking soda? Wonder if that destroys the flora…
I found SLS in all the toothpaste I had been using and switched to baking soda. I have been short of breath lately and worry about potential oil buildup in my lungs from years of using toothpaste with SLS.
I don’t use soap on most of the body, now, as I shower, with the idea that the natural skin flora is maintained and can do it’s job. Have you anything on soaps and this matter?
For some context, please check out my associated blog post Using Greens to Improve Athletic Performance!
would have liked to see the atheletic performance measured after antispetic mouthwash to “close the loop” and associate the perfomance benefits with nitrites
Are non-antiseptic mouthwashes OK? Also, in this or a related video, you say that the nitrates in beet juice spur action by proton pumps. Does that mean that the use of proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium will diminish the production of nitrites and therefore NO in the body, regardless of whether you are juicing? Emerging research seems to suggest that NO is helpful for many physical processes and possibly to ward off disease, so it would seem that the effects of PPIs could be far-reaching. Thanks!
There is a big push in the alternative dental world to use hydrogen peroxide in your tooth brushing routine. Does this ruin the nitrate proton pump effect? Maybe our teeth are more important than the proton pump or maximizing beet juice action.
Would like to see a response to this please.
Dilute the Hydrogen Proxide half from the bottle and half water. Stronger solutions can damage your teeth.
Hi. I read that mouthwash can eliminate the benefits of nitrate absorption? So a couple of questions:
– Do all mouthwashes have this detrimental affect
– What are the timescales involved e.g. can I use mouthwash in the morning, load with nitrates at lunch then get the benefits in the evening?
I use a tongue scraper each morning after rising. Should I skip it on the mornings when I run? Thank you!
I found that people with bad breath typically eat one meal a day. The body prefers four meals of 400 to 500 calories (depending on body size) at four hour intervals to keep bad breath at bay. Also if you use garlic cut 1/8 inch off the top of the bulb and discard. That is where the garlicky smell comes from.
How about green tea mouthwash?