Stop Periodontal Disease in Its Tracks with Omega-3
Try omega-3 for a natural way to lower your risk of gum disease
Did you know that omega-3 can help keep you young looking? Well, it can. Think about this. Losing your teeth instantly ages you. But there's new proof that getting the right amount of fish oil in your diet can slow periodontal disease and help you keep your teeth.
What is Periodontal Disease?
When you go to the dentist and he checks the gum tissue around each tooth, assigning each a number, what he's doing is checking for periodontal disease. A disease that strikes the tissue that surrounds and supports your teeth. The gums become inflamed and swell until you eventually lose your teeth.
How Can You Stop This From Happening?
The good news? Researchers say that people having an omega-3 intake of 1,000mg daily, have significantly lower rate of periodontal disease than people with a lower intake do.
The bad news? The average American gets 12 times less omega-3 than this amount. If your gums are swollen and red, or your dentist has informed you that you have periodontal disease, you need to increase the number of omega-3 foods in your diet or begin taking fish oil supplements.
Where's the Proof?
Studies show that eating more foods high in omega-3 can help prevent periodontal disease and possibly help you keep your teeth. In a 5-year Japanese study involving elderly subjects with an average age of 74, the subjects kept records of the food they ate. They were also given dental exams at the beginning and end of each year for five consecutive years.
The subjects averaged eating 1582 mg of omega-3 during the 5-year test. Those with the lowest intake of omega-3 had 50% more periodontal events. Given this information, the researchers concluded higher intakes of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with less periodontal disease.
Omega-3 is so important for your overall health. Already known for its cardiovascular benefits, brain and memory health, it turns out omega-3 is important for your dental health as well. Today, begin including more foods rich in essential fatty acids to your diet and aim for at least 1,000mg of omega-3 daily.
