Omega-3s Decrease the Incidence of Gum Disease

Periodontitis is  a common inflammatory disease in which gum tissue separates from teeth, causing an  accumulation of bacteria and potential bone and tooth loss.  Asghar Naqvi, from Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues studied data collected on 9,182 adults, ages 20 years and older, who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2004. The researchers found that those subjects who consumed the most DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a type of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, were at 20% reduced risk of developing periodontitis.  In adopting a therapeutic strategy aimed at reducing the inflammatory response associated with periodontitis, the team concludes that: “Higher dietary intakes of [docosahexaenoic acid] and, to a lesser degree, [eicosapentaenoic acid], were associated with lower prevalence of periodontitis.“