Good health starts in the mouth

The prospect of a daily penicillin treatment plan spanning almost a decade would be enough to make anyone take their throat health a little more seriously, let alone a 12 year old boy. For John Tagg, this nightmare became his reality when a series of bouts with strep throat developed into rheumatic fever. Needless to say, this experience left a lasting impact on the young Tagg, who had unwittingly stumbled upon a way to channel his growing passion for science and research.

Despite discovering microbiology by accident during his third year at university, John quickly became inspired by the contagious enthusiasm of his tutor. This fateful interaction would ignite his determination to help discover a proactive and accessible way of tackling throat health, removing the need for prolonged antibiotic treatments like the one he had to endure.

Some years later, while undertaking PhD research on the same conditions that had plagued him for so long, John made a life changing breakthrough. At the risk of oversimplifying his achievement, Tagg had isolated a bacteriocin-like inhibitory substance (BLIS) which worked against other bacteria associated with strep throat. A discovery which led to the founding of BLIS Probiotics^® in August 2000.

However, John’s dream was still far from complete. He continued his passionate research, developing BLIS K12^® and BLIS M18^® – two oral probiotics which have now become cornerstones of the BLIS Probiotics^® product range. They work by populating your mouth with a host of healthy bacteria, crowding out and inhibiting the bad bacteria which can lead to infection. By restoring a healthy oral microbiome, these probiotics promote healthy teeth and gums and mouth and throat through a preventative approach, something John’s younger self would have relished.

But the benefits of a healthy oral microbiome extend much further than simply the confines of our cheeks. As evidence now shows, oral health has indicators for a number of illnesses throughout the body including the likes of: heart disease, pneumonia, diabetes, dementia and even joint pain. The relationship between each of these conditions and poor oral health varies but what is unwaveringly clear is that every part of the body, from the brain and pancreas to the heart and lungs, can benefit from the upkeep of a healthy oral microbiome.

This gives further impetus to the fact that people of all ages and backgrounds can benefit from taking better care of their oral health; something that is reflected in BLIS Probiotics^® values. John’s desire to ensure the accessibility of his innovations is made manifest through their integration in supplements designed especially for the likes of children, athletes and even travellers.

BLIS Probiotics^® knows too well that good health starts in the mouth. Which is no doubt why John, now a well respected professor emeritus, still continues his research at BLIS Probiotics^® Dunedin laboratory to this day. Despite isolating over 2000 strains of bacteria over the course of his career, few people understand better than him what the discovery of even just one more could bring; not just for the future of oral health but for the future of human health.