Friday, October 20, 2017
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Go to the Gym-Your gums will thank you!
When you’re sweating it out on the treadmill or sidewalk, you’re probably thinking about how all that exercise is going to make you look fitter or help your heart run a bit better. But what if there was another rather unusual benefit? What if going to the gym was also good for your gums?
This statement comes from a study published this past May in the journal Oral Diseases:
OBESE PEOPLE ARE SIX TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN IDEAL-WEIGHT FOLKS TO DEVELOP SEVERE GUM DISEASES.
In the study of 160 people in Thailand, researchers found an increased likelihood of oral diseases, especially gum disease, in those who were overweight or obese, which they defined as having a body mass index greater than or equal to 23 and 25, respectively.The study also found increased leukocyte counts, which usually happens when the body is fighting an infection, in obese and overweight participants as compared to ideal-weight participants.
WE’RE ONLY JUST GETTING TO KNOW ABOUT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ORAL HEALTH AND OTHER DISEASES.
The connection? One expert blames our fat cells. They “produce many chemical signals and hormones, and many of these substances lead to inflammation throughout the body,” says Dr. Terrence Griffin, president of the American Association of Periodontology. The inflammation, in turn, leads to decreased immunity, making us more susceptible to periodontal diseases, he adds. Fat or any foreign material will trigger or activate inflammatory cells — such as macrophages or neutrophils — and this results in the production of cytokines that will destroy soft and hard tissues, explains Dr. Salomon Amar, a professor of molecular and cell biology at Boston University.
When you’re brushing your teeth, you’re doing much more than just getting rid of bad breath or removing that piece of spinach that your dinner date didn’t mention. In 2006, Dr. Amar did a study on how periodontal health relates to complications during pregnancy, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and osteoporosis. The link to cardiovascular diseases, in particular, is emerging as a substantial threat, he says. Meanwhile, the association with diabetes has been found to work both ways, meaning if you have severe periodontal disease, you should probably get checked for diabetes.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Long-term gum disease linked to Alzheimer's disease
(Reuters Health) - Chronic gum inflammation, known as periodontitis, is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, researchers from Taiwan report.
Chronic periodontitis, a leading cause of tooth loss, is also associated with increases in markers of inflammation throughout the body. Some recent studies have suggested that chronic periodontitis might contribute to a decline in thinking ability, the authors note in Alzheimer's Research and Therapy.
Dr. Yu-Chao Chang’s team from Chung Shan Medical University in Taichung City used data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to examine whether patients age 50 or older with chronic periodontitis had an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
They found no overall link between periodontitis and Alzheimer's, but people who had the chronic gum inflammation for 10 or more years were 70 percent more likely than people without periodontitis to develop Alzheimer's disease.
The link between long-term periodontitis and Alzheimer's was present even after researchers adjusted for other factors that might influence the development of Alzheimer's, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and urban environment.
"Our findings support the notion that infectious diseases associated with low-grade inflammation, such as chronic periodontitis, may play a substantial role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease," the study team concludes.
"These findings highlight the need to prevent progression of periodontal disease and promote healthcare services at the national level," they add.
"In fact, it is believed that the association between periodontitis and Alzheimer´s disease may be bi-directional,” said Dr. Yago Leira Feijoo from Universidad de Santiago de Compostela in Spain who wasn’t involved in the study. “Currently, with the scientific evidence that is available, we cannot be sure if the risk factor is either periodontal disease or Alzheimer´s disease,” Leira Feijoo said by email.
“Because periodontitis is a preventable and treatable disease, periodontal patients should be aware of the potential risks of gum infection and the systemic impact that could have,” he added.
Dr. Ingar Olsen from University of Oslo in Norway, who also wasn’t involved in the study, told Reuters Health, “Dental care of old people should not be neglected.”
“Brush your teeth carefully to prevent development of periodontitis," Olsen added.
Dr. Chang did not respond to a request for comments.
SOURCE: bit.ly/2vMA0hd Alzheimer's Research and Therapy, online August 8, 2017.
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