Exercise Significantly Influences the Dietary Effects on Oral Bacterial Balance

Objectives: The oral cavity hosts a biome of bacteria that are unique to every individual. How changes in oral bacterial balance influence oral health and disease as well as systemic health and disease are areas of active investigation. Poor eating habits and unhealthy lifestyle choices are significantly contributing to the rise in obesity endemic in Westernized cultures. It is known that eating high fat diets can contribute to weight gain and that regular exercise can prevent obesity. It is important to understand the effects of diet and activity modifications on the oral microbiome. We hypothesized that voluntary exercise may influence oral bacterial balance and may prevent any adverse changes to the oral microbiome as a result of consuming a high fat diet.
Methods: Twenty-four, male, C57Bl/6 littermates (5 weeks old) were randomly divided into 4 treatment groups: low fat (LF; 10kcal %) /Sedentary (Sed); LF/Exercise (Ex); high fat (HF; 60kcal%) /Sed; HF/Ex. Ex mice had a hamster wheel mounted in their cage with a bike odometer for recording 24 hour Ex activity. Mice were on the diet and Ex protocol for 14 weeks. Weekly body weights and Ex were recorded. Oral bacteria was isolated from the surface of the tongues upon completion of the study. 16s ribosomal DNA was used to identify bacterial taxa (Argonne National Laboratory). Data were analyzed by 2-way ANOVA; significance at p<0.05.
Results: Ex significantly prevented HF-induced obesity. While diet and Ex alone had no significant effect on oral bacterial balance, significant (diet* activity) interaction effects were determined for the phylum, Actinobacteria, and the cariogenic genus, Streptococcus, and the genus, Lactobaccilus.
Conclusions: Ex significantly influences the dietary effect on oral bacteria. Identifying ways to modify the balance of specific oral bacteria may provide another mechanism in the fight against obesity.