New study links periodontal disease to metabolic syndrome

Taking a Bite out of Optimal Health

For truly optimal health, you have to have a healthy heart. Obviously. But what else? A healthy brain, healthy lungs, healthy digestion, healthy liver, kidneys, muscles, bones – when you’re talking about achieving the best possible health, all of these components must be in good working order and disease-free.

But there’s a key item most people might not think to put on that list: gums. A new study has revealed a link between periodontal disease and metabolic syndrome, adding to the list of critical health issues that seem to be connected with our gum health.

Bottom line: If your gums aren’t healthy, you’re not in the best of health.

Clear connection

As many HSI members are aware, metabolic syndrome is a group of symptoms (high blood pressure, low HDL, elevated triglycerides, excess abdominal fat, etc.) that put a patient at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

UK researchers collected data from NHANES III, a long-term nutrition and health study in which periodontal exams were conducted on nearly 14,000 adults. When periodontitis cases were compared to metabolic syndrome factors, they found a very strong association between the two among middle-aged subjects.

The most advanced cases of periodontitis were the most likely to be diagnosed with multiple factors of metabolic syndrome.

One of the lead researchers told Reuters Health that further studies are needed to determine “whether improvements in oral health could affect the onset/progression of the metabolic syndrome or vice-versa.”

Fair enough. But further research isn’t needed to determine that metabolic syndrome can be curbed by combining regular exercise with a diet that avoids junky, high-glycemic foods. These efforts may also help prevent gum disease, but anyone with periodontitis must undergo aggressive dental treatment.

Send in the antioxidants

In periodontitis, the gums and bone that support teeth become infected. Researchers believe that inflammation associated with periodontitis may also play a role in the development of heart disease.

And this is where the anti-inflammatory properties of antioxidants come in.

In the e-Alert “Let’s Get a Bite” (1/4/06), I told you about a 2000 study that confirmed earlier research showing that people who have an inadequate intake of vitamin C tend to have higher rates of periodontal disease. Vitamin C helps repair and maintain healthy connective tissue.

And in 2003 I told you about a study in which researchers found that subjects with healthy gums had high levels of the antioxidant glutathione in the crevices under their teeth, while subjects with periodontal disease had substantially lower glutathione levels. HSI members may recall previous e-Alerts about glutathione – a powerful antioxidant that plays a key role in the immune system. Glutathione also protects other important antioxidants, prolonging and enhancing their effectiveness.

The foods that deliver glutathione precursors are meats and fresh fruits and vegetables. In other words, the low glycemic foods that help prevent metabolic syndrome are the very foods that deliver this invaluable nutrient to your body and your gums.

In addition, a little direct sunlight every day might help the cause too. In a 2007 e-Alert I told you about research that showed a significant association between low levels of vitamin D and an elevated risk of tooth loss due to periodontal disease.

HSI members may also recall a remarkable gum disease treatment we told you about in the HSI Members Alert. Peri-Gum is an herbal mouthwash that’s been shown to reduce gingivitis (gum inflammation) so effectively that many patients have avoided oral surgery.

HSI members can use their password to access that article at this link.

Sources:
“Association of the Metabolic Syndrome with Severe Periodontitis in a Large U.S. Population-Based Survey” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol. 93, No. 10, October 2008, jcem.endojournals.org
“Periodontal Disease Linked to Metabolic Syndrome” Anne Harding, Reuters Health, 11/27/08, reutershealth.com