A recent study from the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine has uncovered a surprising way to identify chronic heart failure—by examining the microbes on the tongue.

The researchers found that the tongues of heart failure patients are noticeably different from those of healthy people, not just in appearance but also in the types of bacteria present in their coating.

In healthy individuals, the tongue typically appears pale red with a light white coating. However, people with chronic heart failure tend to have a redder tongue with a yellow coating, and these changes become more pronounced as the disease progresses.

By analyzing the tongue’s microbial composition, the researchers believe it may be possible to screen for, diagnose, and monitor heart failure.

The study involved 42 patients with chronic heart failure and 28 healthy individuals as controls. None of the participants had oral or dental diseases, recent infections, or had taken antibiotics or immunosuppressants in the past week.

Samples of the tongue coating were collected in the morning before eating or brushing teeth using stainless steel spoons. The researchers then used a specialized technique called 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify the bacteria present.

The results showed distinct differences in the microbial communities of the two groups. Heart failure patients shared a specific set of bacteria in their tongue coating, while healthy individuals had an entirely different set. There was no overlap in the bacterial makeup between the groups.

The study identified five types of bacteria that were particularly effective in distinguishing heart failure patients from healthy individuals, achieving a predictive accuracy of 84%.

Additionally, the researchers observed that levels of two specific bacteria, Eubacterium and Solobacterium, decreased as heart failure became more severe.

These findings suggest that the microbes on the tongue could be a simple, non-invasive tool for diagnosing heart failure or tracking its progression over time. The technique has the potential for large-scale screening and could provide valuable insights into disease management.

This isn’t the first time tongue microbes have been linked to serious health conditions. Previous research has shown that changes in the tongue’s microbial composition can help distinguish patients with pancreatic cancer from healthy individuals.

The researchers behind that study suggested that microbial imbalances may trigger inflammation and disease, which could also play a role in heart failure.

Although this study provides promising evidence for using tongue microbes as a diagnostic tool, more research is needed to understand how these microorganisms are connected to heart function. It remains unclear whether the microbial changes are a cause or a consequence of heart failure.

This innovative approach could pave the way for easier and more accessible heart failure diagnostics, potentially improving early detection and treatment.

The study, led by Dr. Tianhui Yuan, highlights the importance of exploring unconventional methods to understand and manage chronic diseases.

If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.

For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.