Did You Know Your Mouthwash Could Be Raising Your Blood Pressure?
Most of us were taught one simple thing about mouthwash: it kills bad bacteria and keeps your breath fresh. That part is true. But research by Dr. Nathan Bryan, a leading nitric oxide biochemist, reveals consequences that go far beyond oral hygiene — and they affect your heart, your blood pressure, your workouts, and your circulation in ways most people never connect to a bottle of mouthwash.
What Mouthwash Is Actually Doing to Your Body
Your mouth is home to bacteria that serve a critical function: they convert nitrates from food into nitric oxide — a molecule your body uses to dilate blood vessels, regulate blood pressure, support circulation, and maintain healthy oxygen delivery throughout your system. When you use antibacterial mouthwash, you kill those bacteria. Not just the bad ones. All of them. Without that bacterial conversion process, your body’s ability to produce nitric oxide drops significantly.
The Blood Pressure Research
In research published by Dr. Bryan and his team, healthy young people with normal blood pressure were given mouthwash twice daily for seven days. The results were clear: eliminating the oral bacteria raised blood pressure measurably within that window. Dr. Bryan notes a parallel that is difficult to ignore — 2 out of 3 Americans use mouthwash daily, and 2 out of 3 Americans have unsafe blood pressure levels. He discussed this research in depth during his interview with Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO.
It Cancels Out the Cardiovascular Benefits of Exercise
One of the primary reasons exercise strengthens the heart is that it stimulates nitric oxide production. Blood vessels dilate, circulation improves, and the cardiovascular system adapts over time. But if the oral bacteria responsible for producing nitric oxide have been eliminated — which is what antibacterial mouthwash does — that mechanism is disrupted. Dr. Bryan’s research suggests that regular mouthwash use can cancel out the cardiovascular benefits of exercise. Eating well and working out every day while using mouthwash twice daily may be creating an offset that most people never account for.
Sexual Function in Both Men and Women
Nitric oxide is also essential for sexual function — and this applies equally to men and women. It is the mechanism that allows blood vessels to dilate and blood flow to increase where it is needed. Dr. Bryan identifies nitric oxide deficiency as the first clinical sign of compromised circulation, which manifests as sexual dysfunction before other cardiovascular symptoms appear. This connection between mouthwash and circulation is one of the most overlooked aspects of his research.
What Dr. Bryan Recommends Instead
Dr. Bryan recommends eliminating antibacterial mouthwash and switching to approaches that support rather than destroy the oral microbiome. He covers specific alternatives — including nasal breathing, mineral-based rinses, and dietary nitrate sources — in his full interview. The same principles apply to fluoride toothpaste, which he also addresses in the episode as a separate but related source of oral microbiome disruption.
The choices we make in daily routines — the ones we have made on autopilot for years — sometimes have consequences that take decades of research to uncover. This is one of them. Knowing is the first step toward choosing differently.
RESOURCE:
Watch the full interview with Dr. Nathan Bryan on The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett:
The Untold Truth About Nitric Oxide & Health | Dr. Nathan Bryan on The Diary of a CEO