Many of the patients at our Lower Manhattan cosmetic dental practice adhere to a low carb diet, eschewing bread and other carby foods to lose or maintain weight, and/or for other health benefits. What’s news is that German researchers at University of Freiburg have linked a restricted carbohydrate diet with an improvement in gum disease!
The 4-week research study involved 15 subjects: 10 who served as the experimental group and 5 as the control group. While the control group members ate their usual foods, the experimental group’s menu centered on a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins C & D, and low in carbohydrates. Gum evaluations were performed on each patient before the study began to create a baseline for each participant, and measurements were taken at the end of each week throughout the study.
Although the levels of plaque in the teeth of all participants remained constant regardless of diet, there was a significant drop (50%) in inflammatory parameters in the experimental group compared with the control group. This shows that a diet low in refined carbohydrates and rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and vitamins C & D can greatly reduce gum inflammation.
(To see the complete study, click this link)
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