[extropy-chat] take care of your teeth to take care of your brain

[Harvey Newstrom]

Bill Hibbard wrote,
> take care of your teeth to take care of your brain
> 
> At least according to this:
> 
>   http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20031125p2a00m0fp013000c.html

Unfortunately, this article gives no information as to why they believe this
to be true.  It merely shows a statistical correlation between tooth loss
and dementia.  We already knew there would be a correlation between the two.
It's called old age.  We lose teeth as we age.  We get prone to dementia as
we age.  There is no surprise here.  Tooth lose may cause dementia, dementia
may cause tooth loss, or old age may cause both.  Statistical correlations
do not establish cause and effect.  If they discovered an actual cause and
effect, the article forgot to mention it.

Tooth decay has been linked to increased risk of heart attacks.  It turns
out that the inflammation caused by low-level bacterial infection increases
plaque buildups in the arteries.  Inflammation also seems to be involved in
Alzheimer's and other aging diseases.  I would guess that the inflammation
is more responsible than "brain stimulation" or structural support.

-- 
Harvey Newstrom, CISSP, CISA, CISM, IAM, IBMCP, GSEC
Certified IS Security Pro, Certified IS Auditor, Certified InfoSec Manager,
NSA Certified Assessor, IBM Certified Consultant, SANS Certified GIAC
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