NUTRITIOUSNDELICIOUS.COM 
DECCAN CHRONICLE
THE human mouth is an interesting environment with a highly diverse microbiome.
The human oral microbiome refers to the microorganisms that are naturally found in the human oral cavity – or the mouth.
Some of the predominant microorganisms in the oral microbiome are Streptococcus, Granulicatella, Gemella, and Veillonella. These are bacteria that maintain the healthy equilibrium in the mouth.
When external or internal stimuli disturb the equilibrium, it has potentially adverse effects on the health of the mouth.
The imbalance in the oral microbiome may cause cancer and abnormal growth of cells.
A new study has established a possible link between changes in the oral microbiome and lung cancer among non-smokers.
The study was conducted by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in collaboration with scientists from the Vanderbilt University, National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, and the National Cancer Institute in Shanghai.
The study also used data from the Shanghai Women’s Health Study and the Shanghai Men’s Health Study.
Before the start of the research, study participants were asked to rinse out their mouth to provide researchers a baseline for each of their oral microbiome.
The subjects – 90 of them females and 24 males – were screened for lung cancer every two years.
The study was conducted between 1996 and 2006, giving the researchers more than enough time for observation.
The study, published in the Thorax journal, found that 114 of the participants developed lung cancer about seven years from the start of the study.
The researchers found that apart from the diagnosis of cancer, the only main difference between the two groups was the abundance of oral microbiota.
Because it was an observational study, the researchers emphasized they cannot conclusively link oral microbiome changes to lung cancer in non-smokers.
Still, they say, their findings can be the first step towards more studies on the possible connection.
Indeed, the study hints at a causal-effect relationship between the two to justify more research./PN
