D For Gum Disease?
BITE THIS - Vitamin D, already known for boosting calcium absorption and bone health, may also help keep your gums healthy.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Looked at data on 6,700 Nonsmokers, ages 13 and up, from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination survey. Those with the highest blood levels of vitamin D were 20% less likely to show signs of gingivitis- gums that bleed on probing-than those with the lowest levels.
The results do not necessarily mean vitamin D is responsible for healthier gums, cautions study author Thomas Dietrich, DMD, DMD, MPH, of Boston University’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine. But vitamin D has recently been shown to have possible anti-inflammatory benefits, which might explain its association with reduced inflammation and bleeding between the teeth and gums. The researchers are now testing this theory with an intervention study.