Don't forget to brush your teeth
An interesting discussion in the Health Sciences Institute's e-alert advises us of a simple and basic way for preventing periodontal disease. Healthy gums will have a tendency to also prevent pneumonia - and heart disease. Apparently, the levels of l-glutathione - an aminoacid "tripeptide" - are important for health, both dental and general.
Peridontal disease is also linked to low levels of vitamin C. Think of scurvy, the ultimate vitamin C deficiency, which has periodontal disease - deteriorating gums - as one of its manifestations. And what's more, also heart disease has been linked to low plasma levels of vitamin C and other antioxidant vitamins and aminoacids.
The discussion in the HSI alert makes perfect sense, because l-glutathione is a synergist and protector of other antioxidants, including vitamin C! So - don't forget to brush your teeth and do take those supplements to prevent trouble . . .
Chew On This
Health Sciences Institute e-Alert
August 4, 2003
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Dear Reader,
Brushing your teeth could save your life. That may sound like an exaggeration, but it's not. Especially if your teeth and gums are cleaned on a regular basis by a dental hygienist.
In the e-Alert "Revealing the Matrix" (5/21/03) I told you how good oral hygiene has been shown to help prevent pneumonia, the disease responsible for more than 60,000 fatalities each year. According to studies published in the Journal of Periodontology and the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, bacteria that develop along the gum line often accumulate in the throat. When your immune system is not performing at an optimal level, this can create respiratory problems such as pneumonia.
The health of your teeth and gums may also have a direct effect on the health of your heart. This isn't really news - since the late 90's we've seen growing evidence that periodontal disease (an advanced form of gum inflammation) may be linked to an increased risk of heart disease. But research now shows that in addition to diligent brushing and flossing, using supplements of an important amino acid could provide another very effective defense against periodontal disease, and, in turn, pneumonia and heart disease.
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Down in the crevice
--------------------------------------------------------------A recent study conducted at the University of Birmingham in the UK examined 20 subjects - 10 with healthy gums, and 10 with advanced gum disease. From each subject, researchers took samples of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), a fluid within the gums that is routinely released from the crevices under the teeth. All of the subjects with healthy gums were shown to have high levels of the antioxidant glutathione, while the subjects with periodontal disease had substantially lower levels of glutathione. When blood serum levels were tested for glutathione, the same disparity was recorded for the two groups.
The fact that this study tested for glutathione (as opposed to any number of other antioxidants) is significant. In the e-Alert "The Workhorse" (1/9/03) we took an in-depth look at glutathione - an enormously effective antioxidant found in every cell of the body, most notably in immune system cells. Glutathione has not only been shown to protect against disease, but may also protect other antioxidants (such as vitamins C and E) from oxidizing, prolonging and enhancing their effectiveness.
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Which came first... ?
--------------------------------------------------------------But while the UK study results would indicate that boosting glutathione levels might help prevent and control periodontal disease, other questions remain. The researchers wondered, for instance, if lower levels of glutathione directly contribute to gum disease, or if free radicals, produced by gum disease inflammation, depletes the stores of glutathione. The answer may very likely be "yes" on both counts, but we'll have to wait for further research before we have definitive answers.
The word that jumps out here is, "inflammation." A 1997 study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill revealed that patients with advanced gum disease, who had also suffered heart attacks, all showed significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) than heart attack survivors who did not have gum disease.
This isn't a surprise, inasmuch as we've seen before that elevated CRP is a key marker for inflammation. But it does establish further evidence linking periodontal disease and heart disease. In the e-Alert "Burst of Inflammation" (11/21/02), I told you about a study that showed how the levels of C-reactive protein have been recognized as an important marker of heart disease risk.
Taken together, these studies add further circumstantial evidence to a cycle of cause and effect that goes like this: A low level of the antioxidant glutathione may be associated with periodontal disease; periodontal disease is characterized by inflammation; inflammation brings up CRP levels; elevated CRP levels may indicate a risk of heart disease; a risk of heart disease may be reduced by an increased intake of antioxidants; and elevated levels of the antioxidant glutathione may help prevent periodontal disease.
Is anybody else a little dizzy?
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Protection & prevention
--------------------------------------------------------------Later this year the final results are due from a major National Institutes of Health study about the connection between periodontal health and heart disease. In the meantime, the UK study offers promising evidence that antioxidants (and specifically glutathione) may prove to be an important defense against periodontal disease.
So, what's the best way to raise glutathione levels? One way NOT to do it is by oral supplement. Taking glutathione orally is regarded as ineffective because the molecules are too big to pass through the intestinal walls to the blood stream. There is, however, an important amino acid I've told you about in previous e-Alerts, called N-acetylcysteine (NAC) that gives a powerful boost to your body's natural production of glutathione.
Supplements of NAC are available in health food stores and through Internet providers. The typical dosage ranges from 250-600 mg daily, unless a specific problem (such as bronchitis) calls for higher dosage. (As always, consult with your doctor or health care provider before taking a new supplement - especially in high doses.)
The food sources that deliver glutathione precursors are meats and fresh fruits and vegetables. But even with a diet high in the proteins that supply glutathione amino acids, one of those amino acids - cysteine - is more difficult than the others to come by. A natural food component with high concentrations of glutathione precursors (including cysteine) is milk-serum-protein concentrate - more simply known as whey.
If you've been diagnosed with periodontal disease, or if you're currently undergoing treatment for it, share this information with all of your health care providers - physician, dentist, periodontist - knowing that an important key to both gum and heart health may be as simple as enhancing your production of glutathione and increasing your intake of other antioxidants. If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com
See also:Cure Tooth Decay!
Heal And Prevent Cavities With Nutrition
posted by Sepp Hasslberger on Monday August 4 2003
updated on Wednesday February 13 2008URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2003/08/04/dont_forget_to_brush_your_teeth.htm
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