Being Overweight Effects Gum Health

September 5th, 2009, Author: Richard Daniels, Categories: Health and fitness

A new study has found that obese men, besides carrying extra weight, also have a higher potential for painful, potentially dangerous gum issues than their normal weight adults counterparts.

You’ve probably heard of the milder, more reversible form of gum disease – gingivitis, where only the gums are affected. Left untreated, this can progress to periodontitis where bacteria in the plaque irritate gums and provoke an inflammatory response that can be quite destructive.

As periodontal disease does not often show symptoms until it has got a firm foothold in your mouth it can be hard to diagnose.

In this latest research, the experts looked at data for nearly 37,000 men who were included in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) that began in 1986.

The program is designed to compliment the all-female Nurses’ Health Study and looks at the relationship between nutritional factors and the incidence of serious diseases like cancer, heart disease and vascular problems.

A lot of work has already been invested in determining the risk between gum disease and cardiovascular risk.

To see if there might be a relationship between periodontal disease and being overweight, the researchers analyzed information spanning 16 years for the subjects, all of whom were free of gum disease at the beginning of the research.

Data on height, weight, waist/hip measurements was pulled together, as well as information on gum disease. Using the standard approach to defining obesity, a BMI of 30 of higher, Monik Jimenez, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health, found that obesity brought an increased risk of periodontal disease.

Jimenez will present the findings at the International Association for Dental Research general session.

Not only higher BMI’s, but waist circumferences were also linked to a higher risk of gum disease. A waist measurement of 40 inches or more, considered a risk for heart disease, increased the risk of gum disease by 19%, when compared to those with measurements under 40-inches.

“Obesity was associated with a 29 percent increased risk of periodontal disease over the course of the study.” Jimenez said.

There was a minor increase in risk of periodontal disease for those who were just overweight, but not obese. This did not come close to the risk for those carrying a lot of extra weight.

In a linked work, Jimenez and colleagues at the University of Puerto Rico discovered that a higher waist-hip ratio (WHR) was connected to a greater risk of moderately severe gum disease in men and women over 70 years old.

In women, an elevated waist-to-hip ratio is .88 or above; for men it’s .95 or higher. Here’s how the calculation is made, a woman with a 36-inch waist and 40-inch hips has a WHR of .90 (36/40 = .90). Subjects with elevated waist-to-hip ratios were almost 6 times more likely to have periodontal disease.

This work continues to build on earlier studies that link gum disease with heart disease, as well as gum disease and cancer risk in males. Gum disease in diabetics is also known to be worse.

Concerned for your own gums?

Your health?

To keep your mouth healthy, choose a heart healthy diet that’s also beneficial for your gums, brush and clean regularly each day, and don’t avoid regular dental check-ups.

Caught nice and early, periodontal disease can be treated – so you don’t have to lose any teeth.

You might also want to consider the online risk assessment tools available to find out where you stand today. If you have symptoms of gum problems a visit to your dentist is in order to keep your mouth, and your whole body, healthy.

Next – Just head on over to the Daily Health Bulletin for more information on obesity and gum disease, plus for a limited time get 5 free fantastic health reports. Click here for the video of the link between obesity and gum problems.