The Science of Spit

2023

Jan 3

Your saliva is a fascinating multifunctional biofilm that almost nobody appreciates. It helps us break down and swallow our food acting as both a lubricant and digestive aid. At the same time its bicarbonate component acts as a buffer to protect our teeth. Antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties also make it one of our immune system's first lines of defense. Multiple proteins and salivary epidermal growth factor are the reason why cuts inside your mouth heal so quickly compared to other locations, this same principle is why animals will lick their wounds. It is as close to an onboard first aid kit as mother nature provides. Analytically our saliva can provide a wealth of information about our overall health and well-being. Detailed hormone levels can be easily assayed by spitting in a cup. That is a whole panel of interesting metrics that provide great insight into your overall health that the average patient has probably never seen before.

Let’s start with your estrogen, do you know your estrogen level? A bit of a trick question because estrogen comes in several forms Estrone (E1), Estradiol (E2), Estriol (E3) are our naturally occurring versions. Ethinyl Estradiol (EE) is the most common synthetic estrogen used for contraceptive purposes. All these different types of estrogen are slightly different and produced naturally at different points. Estradiol (E2) is usually produced during the reproductive years by the ovaries. Estrone (E1) in comparison is found in excess after menopause. Estriol (E3) is the least potent by far of all three and is produced during pregnancy and is very notable for its anti-cancer effects.

As far back as the sixties medicine became aware of the connection between Estriol (E3) and breast cancer. Estriol is linked to lower incidence of breast cancer because of its weaker potency in comparison to the other estrogens. Breast cancer needs activation of the estrogen receptor to grow, when Estriol (E3) is present the receptor becomes blocked but not activated essentially. On the flip side of this the more you are activating those estrogen receptors the greater the increased risk of breast cancer. Ethinyl Estradiol (EE), our common contraceptive, is also the most potent of the bunch and this is the dark side of some birth control pills. It would take a while but eventually a 2014 article in Cancer Research would estimate you were 2.7 times more likely to develop breast cancer if you took some of the higher dose birth control pills.

That’s enough time in the lady's section, what about your testosterone level? Do you have the infamous low T the commercials warned you about? Statistically the answer is probably yes since many studies have shown a decline in testosterone across the population. The cause for this is hotly debated. Some blame smoking, diabetes, obesity and other general comorbidities of the modern age and others say the drop is too significant for these things to explain. The result is a disturbing decline in reproductive function. Testosterone and its metabolite dihydrotestosterone, which is more potent, can both be measured with saliva testing. Both activate the androgen receptor which has a wide variety of downstream effects that are not as appreciated today as they once were.

Precursors to testosterone can also be measured dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its metabolites DHEA-S and 7-Keto DHEA. DHEA gets metabolized into the two forerunners for testosterone androstenediol and androstenedione. Androstenediol has no other pathway except to be metabolized into testosterone, androstenedione though has options and can either make testosterone or estrone (E1). Testosterone itself is not the end of the line because it can then be metabolized into its more potent version dihydrotestosterone or into estradiol (E2) via the protein aromatase. Aromatase is the reason why the biggest buffest steroid users may end up growing breast tissue. Aromatase inhibitors like anastrozole (Arimidex) and letrozole (Femara) have FDA indications for breast cancer which makes sense because they are going to decrease estradiol (E2) and thereby inhibit cancer growth. This also makes them popular among men looking to increase their testosterone or negate its conversion to estradiol (E2).

One of the easiest things to measure from your saliva is pH which should range somewhere between 6.2 and 7.6. If this number drops too low down into the 5 range the acidity will begin breaking down the enamel required to protect your teeth. Studies have shown that lower saliva pH correlates with periodontal disease and gingivitis. This can be caused by the acidic things we drink such as coffee or soft drinks or rarely health conditions such as acidosis. Low saliva pH can also be an indicator of underlying mineral deficiencies.

Saliva also contains markers for that vague thing we call stress. Science usually divides your stress response into two pathways (HPA) and autonomic nervous system (ANS). The best measurement of the HPA side is cortisol which is produced in your adrenal glands and is sometimes referred to as the “fight or flight” hormone. It is the biomarker commonly correlated with stress and the most widely studied in scientific literature. Perhaps the next best thing though is salivary alpha amylase which is thought to be an indicator of overall ANS activation. Together these two salivary measurements have been used in multiple studies to measure stress. The argument has been made that they should be included as an independent marker of cardiac stress and cardiometabolic risks.

Jacob Hyatt Pharm D.
Father of three, Husband, Pharmacist, Realtor, Landlord, Independent Health and Medicine Reporter
www.pharmacoconuts.com

www.glenallenliving.com

@Hyattjn

Bitcoin GtjoZgxE7WpTkWRE6JiEiXfUpqbWKxH4g

Litecoin ML1N31UVz6sRfo2m2oLaorXgPexUtv3Q3t

The Science of Spit

Echoes of 76

Adderall Safari