{"id":25955,"date":"2025-06-16T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=25955"},"modified":"2025-06-16T22:00:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T22:00:03","slug":"nyu-study-links-depression-to-low-oral-microbiome-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/nyu-study-links-depression-to-low-oral-microbiome-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"NYU Study Links Depression to Low Oral Microbiome Diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A new study from NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing reveals a strong correlation between a less diverse oral microbiome and increased symptoms of depression, suggesting new paths for future mental health treatments.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A diverse mix of microbes in the mouth is not just a cornerstone of good oral health; it may also play a crucial role in mental health. Researchers led by NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing have unveiled a compelling connection between a less diverse oral microbiome and the prevalence of depression in a new study <a href=\"https:\/\/bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12903-025-06274-x#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in BMC Oral Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The human mouth is a bustling hub for an astonishing 500 billion to 1 trillion bacteria, making it the second-largest microbial community in our bodies after the gut. Previous research has highlighted the link between the gut microbiome and depression, but less attention has been given to the oral microbiome \u2014 until now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Having a better understanding of the relationship between the oral microbiome and depression could not only help us learn about the mechanisms underlying depression but could contribute to the development of new biomarkers or treatments for mood disorders,\u201d senior author Bei Wu, the vice dean for research at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To delve into this connection, the researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They analyzed survey responses regarding depressive symptoms and correlated them with saliva samples from over 15,000 US adults aged 18 and older, collected between 2009 and 2012. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gene sequencing techniques allowed the team to identify the bacterial makeup of each sample and assess microbial diversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings were clear: individuals with lower bacterial diversity in their oral microbiomes were more likely to exhibit symptoms of depression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further analyses indicated that factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and dental care \u2014 which are known to impact the oral microbiome \u2014 also affected the relationship between microbiome diversity and depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This study suggests that further research might reveal the oral microbiome&#8217;s potential role in diagnosing or treating depression. However, the direction of the relationship remains unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s possible that the oral microbiome influences depressive symptoms through inflammation or changes to the immune system. Conversely, depression can drive changes including dietary intake, poor oral hygiene, increased smoking and drinking, or the use of medications \u2014 all of which have the potential to alter the oral microbiome,\u201d Wu explained. \u201cWe need more research to understand the direction and underlying pathways of this relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis work is part of a broader effort to understand how the oral microbiome influences not only mental health but also cognitive decline and the onset of dementia,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nyu.edu\/about\/news-publications\/news\/2025\/june\/depression-oral-microbiome.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">New York University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A diverse mix of microbes in the mouth is not just a cornerstone of good oral health; it may also play a crucial role in mental health. Researchers led by NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing have unveiled a compelling connection between a less diverse oral microbiome and the prevalence of depression in a new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-25955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mental-health","tag-nyu"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A diverse mix of microbes in the mouth is not just a cornerstone of good oral health; it may also play a crucial role in mental health. Researchers led by NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing have unveiled a compelling connection between a less diverse oral microbiome and the prevalence of depression in a new&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25955"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25999,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25955\/revisions\/25999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}