gut microbiota, to affect our health and well-being in a multitude of ways, many of them positive.Much of the information on the bacteria that make their home in our mouths, however, focuses on gum disease and its knock-on inflammatory effects around the body.The role of oral bacteria in producing nitric oxide, which benefits cardiovascular and cognitive health, is much less well-known.Many species of oral bacteria convert the inorganic nitrate in vegetables into nitrite.
Nitrite is a precursor for nitric oxide, a signaling molecule that dilates blood vessels and transmits messages between neurons in the brain.