Green Tea May Help Keep Gums Healthy
A cup of green tea per day may help keep gum disease at bay, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among middle-aged Japanese, the odds of having gum disease declined as the men’s intake of green tea rose.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A cup of green tea per day may help keep gum disease at bay, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among middle-aged Japanese, the odds of having gum disease declined as the men’s intake of green tea rose.
For each daily cup they drank, the risk of having signs of gum disease — including receding, easily bleeding gums — inched downward, the researchers report in the Journal of Periodontology.
The findings do not mean, however, that green tea is a substitute for seeing the dentist. The relationship between green tea and lower odds of gum disease was fairly weak, Dr. Yoshihiro Shimazaki, one of the researchers on the study, told Reuters Health.
Good overall oral care, Shimazaki said, is what’s most important.
For the study, Shimazaki and his colleagues at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, examined 940 men between the ages of 49 and 59 for signs of gum disease. The men also completed a questionnaire on smoking and drinking habits, tooth-brushing habits and green tea intake.
In general, the study found, the odds of gum disease declined as green tea intake climbed, even with the other lifestyle factors considered. The researchers did, however, lack information on the men’s overall diet, and past studies have suggested that certain foods and nutrients — like whole grains, fiber and vitamin C — may protect against gum disease.
If green tea itself does combat gum disease, it may be because of its concentration of antioxidant compounds called polyphenols, according to Shimazaki.
Gum disease arises from bacterial infection, and lab research suggests that green tea polyphenols can inhibit those germs and the damage they cause.
By Amy Norton
SOURCE: Journal of Periodontology, March 2009.
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Categories: Dental News, Gums
Hi Amy,
Although much have been written about the health benefits claims of green tea, it has always been difficult to state that green tea per se has been responsible. Whether it be the prevention of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases or cancer, there’s always that notion that some other factors such dietary habits, lifestyle practices and even genetic makeup have a large part to play too. So, the same might be said for green tea in the promotion of healthy gums.
But since green tea has anti-inflamatory and anti-infectious properties, it may be quite easy to see the part green tea play in having healthy gums.
One thing I have found in my years of drinking green tea is that it does stain my teeth. So, I have to take special care when brushing my teeth. There’s just no substitute for good oral hygiene and dental care.