Most Replayed Moment: Mouthwash REVERSES The Benefits Of Exercise! Dr Nathan Bryan

I’ve heard everything you’ve said about the oral microbiome, and I want to improve mine—where should I start?

Begin with what to stop: remove fluoride, which I argue shows risk without clear benefit, including potential effects on cognition, thyroid, and the nervous system, and remember toothpaste fluoride can be absorbed even if you do not swallow it.

So what do I use instead, and where do tongue scrapers fit in?

Choose a non‑fluoridated toothpaste, and use a tongue scraper, which tends to boost oral microbial diversity and oral health, but never pair scraping with antiseptic mouthwash because that combo penetrates deeper and wipes out the helpful bugs.

I see a hygienist every few months for a deep clean—is that still wise?

Professional cleanings are helpful for gums and enamel, but skip any fluoride rinse.

Anything else about the oral microbiome and nitric oxide before we move on?

Regular use of antiseptic mouthwash can blunt the cardiovascular gains from exercise by disrupting oral bacteria that help make nitric oxide, which can tighten blood vessels and nudge blood pressure up.

Is there a link between sex hormones and nitric oxide?

Testosterone in men and estrogen in women stimulate nitric oxide production, which helps explain why hormone therapy can support heart health—so long as the enzyme system is intact and working.

And exercise—does it both need nitric oxide and also raise it?

Yes, and vitamin D is another activator; when hormones are low and nitric oxide is weak, you can see issues like erectile dysfunction, showing how many lifestyle problems trace back to insufficient nitric oxide.

Food-wise, what keeps nitric oxide in a healthy range?

Focus first on what to avoid: sugar and high‑glycemic foods, because sugar sticks to proteins and enzymes, including the one that makes nitric oxide, which helps explain the higher rates of vascular, nerve, eye, and wound‑healing problems in diabetes.

Quick tangent: wounds and scars—does nitric oxide help them heal?

Topical nitric oxide formulations deliver gas that boosts blood flow, mobilizes repair processes, and can remodel tissue while reducing harmful microbes.

Back to diet—beyond cutting sugar, any guidance, and what about beetroot?

Eat a balanced mix with quality protein and fats and fewer refined carbs, and know that beets can help via dietary nitrate, but many commercial beet powders are low in nitrate and do nothing—and mouthwash or fluoride in mixing water can block the benefit.

You’ve called beets underrated; any history worth noting?

Ancient warriors used beet juice for performance, likely because older soils produced nitrate‑rich crops, whereas today’s beets are often nutrient‑depleted, so you usually cannot eat enough to reliably raise nitric oxide without the right product and oral conditions.

I’ve got a chart showing antacid use soaring—what’s the concern?

Proton pump inhibitors suppress stomach acid, impairing protein breakdown and blocking absorption of key nutrients like B vitamins, iodine, magnesium, and iron; occasional buffers neutralize acid briefly, but long‑term acid shutdown is a different and more damaging mechanism.

What about Gaviscon?

It’s essentially a buffering mix, but it contains aluminum hydroxide, and I recommend avoiding aluminum altogether.

My partner’s big on nose breathing—how does that tie to nitric oxide?

Nasal breathing activates nitric oxide production in the sinuses, which opens airways and pulmonary vessels for better oxygen uptake and lower blood pressure.

Mouth breathing is trending as a topic—what’s the downside?

It bypasses that sinus pathway and alters the oral microbiome by changing oxygen and pH, which can shut down nitric oxide production, so mouth taping helps only if the airway is clear; fix obstructions first.

Anything else I can do to raise nitric oxide?

Humming at certain resonant tones can trigger nitric oxide release if your enzyme system still works, but it does little when that system is broken.

Final tips before we wrap?

Remove disruptors like fluoride, antiseptic mouthwash, antacids, and sugar, then lean into balanced eating, regular movement, and daily sunlight or red‑to‑infrared light, which can free stored nitric oxide and support energy and blood pressure.

What you just heard was a most‑replayed moment from a previous episode; the full conversation is linked in the description—thanks for listening.