Your sweet tooth can give you gum infections, according to a recent study

Love eating sugary treats? It can increase the risk of both dental cavities and gum inflammations, putting you at the risk of periodontal diseases.
oral health signs of diabetes
Devouring sugar in copious amounts can lead to gum infections. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
IANS Published: 31 Jan 2020, 14:17 pm IST
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Are you the kind of person who can gobble an entire chocolate bar all at once? Do you never get tired of feasting on ice cream? Do you survive on colas and juices instead of water? Did you say yes to all of the above? Then this read is for you! Consuming a diet rich in sugar can seriously increase your risk of gum infections.

Back in the 1970s, two American researchers suggested that a high-carb diet could be a risk factor for both dental diseases and inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease. And now a study published in the Journal of Oral Microbiology suggests that a sugary diet can also promote periodontal diseases.

Also, read: Stop noshing on these 7 foods and drinks RN for the sake of your teeth

The lead author of the study, Bente Nyvad from Aarhus University in Denmark says:

Today, there is general agreement that diabetes, obesity and heart diseases are associated with high sugar intake. However, a hypothesis that could link and explain the two major dental diseases, caries and periodontitis, has been lacking.

The researchers’ assumption is that periodontal diseases caused by sugar belong to the group of inflammatory diseases in line with diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

gum infections
Brushing your teeth properly can help you deal with gum infections better. Image courtesy: Shutterstock.

This hypothesis is based on the biochemical processes that take place in the bacterial deposits on the teeth when you add high amounts of sugar in your everyday diet.

Lastly, the researchers put forward the importance of brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste even after cutting down sugar from your diet.

Now when the researchers have got the back, you should really try to combat your sweet cravings for the sake of your healthy gums.

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