Controlling for the influence of other factors known to impact mental health, such as diet and sleep, the researchers found that students with recent suicidal thoughts had higher levels of bacteria associated with periodontal disease and other inflammatory health conditions:
The study analyzed saliva collected from nearly 500 undergraduate students taking classes in the microbiology and cell science department at UF. These students also completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, which is used to screen for depression symptoms and asks respondents to share if they have had thoughts of suicide within the last two weeks. Those who reported recent suicidal ideation were referred to on-campus mental health services.
People who are depressed tend to ignore personal hygiene and also more likely to kill themselves. This is not hard to figure out.
At the same rate, there is also a visceral difference in feeling when you are cleanly and your microbiome is symbiotic, vs when you aren’t and it isn’t.
Anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of holding in a gnarly caca before taking a load off can corroborate.
If your flora is out of whack, everything else just feels that much more shittier.
Seems like something with lots of counter-examples.
In my lower class area, plenty of happy people have rotting teeth.
I imagine the ancients carried a higher periodontal pathogen load. Maybe not. Maybe it’s relative to other pathogens in the system.
Wee-p hacking strikes again!
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