Brazilian researchers evaluated 100 patients and found that the predisposition to gum disease is greater among men who eat poorly, regardless of hygiene.
A study by the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), published in Journal of Periodontology, shows that sugar isn’t the only ingredient that’s harmful to oral health. Researchers have found that eating a diet high in pro-inflammatory foods, including ultra-processed foods that are high in saturated fat, trans fat, calories, and cholesterol, increases the risk of gum inflammation.
If not treated properly, this condition can progress to serious conditions, periodontitis, and even tooth loss. Research also shows that the risk is higher for men who consume a high amount of these products.
Pro-inflammatory foods
According to the periodontist Renato Correa Viana Casarinprofessor at Faculty of Dentistry Unicamp and guiding the work, one of the factors capable of modulating the body’s immune response is diet. This is why the idea of evaluating whether food elements could be protective or harmful for oral health was born.
To arrive at the results, the researchers assessed aspects such as the amount of bacterial plaque present in the mouth, bleeding gums, fluids and inflammatory markers in 100 patients and determined the inflammatory profile of each patient’s diet. All were treated in the outpatient clinic. Faculty of Dentistry UnicampIn Piracicabain St. Paul.
In the first phase, a partnership was established with a group of nutritionists from State University of Ceará (EUCE) and the Istanbul UniversityIn TürkiyeThe volunteers filled out a dietary log (a sort of detailed diary of all the foods and drinks consumed during the day, which also takes into account the quantity and type of condiments used) and the researchers calculated the Dietary Inflammatory Index (IID) of each person.
According to the nutritionist Elena Sampaio, professor at UECE and one of the study’s leaders, the IDD includes 44 classified foods and nutrients. It considers pro-inflammatory foods to be those high in saturated fat, total fat, trans fat, calories, and cholesterol.
The main anti-inflammatories are rich in turmeric, fiber, flavones, isoflavones and beta-carotene.“When we talk about foods rich in flavones and isoflavones, we generally only think of soy. But other plant-based foods also contain these nutrients, and it is good to remember that a diet rich in plant-based foods becomes anti-inflammatory,” Sampaio emphasizes.
The IDD takes into account the proportions consumed during the day. “It makes no sense to eat salmon with salad for lunch and consume a lot of alcohol and ultra-processed foods the rest of the day. The result, even if you eat salmon, may not be an anti-inflammatory diet. You are what you eat during the day and everything can affect your immune response,” says Casarin.
After determining the inflammatory index of each patient’s diet, the researchers crossed the data with gum health. It was there that they observed that individuals who followed a pro-inflammatory diet – especially men – were associated with more cases of bleeding gums. And this relationship existed regardless of the amount of biofilm (bacterial plaque) in the patients’ mouths.
“In the statistical analysis, we took into account the amount of biofilm, because this could be a significant bias. But the results showed that diet alone had a significant effect on inflammation, regardless of the amount of plaque. In men, this association was even stronger, with a 27-fold increased risk of developing gingivitis.”Casarin reports. In the entire population studied, diet alone increased the risk of developing the problem by 3.94 times.
This isn’t the first time that research has linked male gender to gum disease. Another Brazilian study, conducted in collaboration with American and German researchers, assessed the influence of gender on periodontal treatment in more than a thousand patients and concluded that men have a greater severity of gum disease and a worse response to treatment.
“The increased risk of gingivitis in men is a very relevant point in the Unicamp study. In our work, we analyzed the data of men and women with periodontitis who had received treatment and we saw that women had a slightly better response than men after one year,” says the dentist Nidia Castro dos Santos, professor of the Dentistry course at the Faculty of Health Sciences Albert Einstein and one of the leaders of the study, published in May in the journal Journal of Periodontal Research. “However, the role of gender in gum disease has yet to be fully elucidated and the Unicamp study contributes to the understanding of this topic.”
More bacteria
In the second phase of the Unicamp study, scientists collected gum fluid from patients and analyzed in the laboratory which bacteria and inflammatory components were present. Once again, they found differences between those who ate a pro-inflammatory diet and those who ate better.
“We noticed that those who followed a pro-inflammatory diet had more markers of inflammation and this was reflected in the health of the gum tissue, as well as a greater number of species of bacteria linked to gum infections,” Casarin emphasizes. It is worth remembering that in the mouth there are about 700 bacterial species that live in harmony and that problems occur when there is an imbalance between them.
What is periodontitis?
The problem begins with gingivitis, which usually manifests itself with bleeding when brushing or flossing, signaling the beginning of gum inflammation (which occurs due to the accumulation of bacteria, which form a biofilm on the top of the tooth). In general, this inflammation begins mildly and can be quickly resolved with proper hygiene.
But if this process is not treated properly, it progresses and penetrates deeper into the gum tissues. It is from this moment that the destruction of the bones that support the teeth begins, characterizing periodontitis. “The evolution of untreated gingivitis is periodontitis, which is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes bad breath, loosening of the teeth and tooth loss. It is a serious condition that is directly related to the habits of the individual,” explains Casarin.
To avoid periodontitis, it is essential to monitor your oral hygiene, carry out proper daily care and visit the dentist regularly. It is also important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, not smoke and take care of diabetes, because if the disease is not treated, the risk of periodontitis increases.
For the teacher Nidia Castrofrom EinsteinThe results of this work reinforce the concept that oral health and general health are not separate.”Inflammation resulting from a proinflammatory diet affects the entire body: heart, liver, intestines, blood vessels and gums. Therefore, it is very important for the dentist to be able to work in multidisciplinary teams, in dialogue with doctors and nutritionists, to develop treatment strategies that promote the health and quality of life of the patient.“, he adds.
Source: Einstein Agency
*Article originally published on Perfil Brasil
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
