Fwd: Over the Teeth, Past the Gums...

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HSI - Jenny Thompson <hsiweb wrote:

Wed, 5 Feb 2003 10:40:00 -0500

HSI - Jenny Thompson

Over the Teeth, Past the Gums...

 

OVER THE TEETH, PAST THE GUMS...

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

 

February 5, 2003

 

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Dear Reader,

 

Dental hygiene is its own reward, of course, but did you know

that the health of your gums may have a direct correlation to

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. In fact, later this

year the final results are due from a major National

Institutes of Health study about the connection between these

two disorders.

 

In the meantime, I recently came across a study that shows

how in addition to diligent brushing and flossing, there may

be another important way to help keep your gums (and,

consequently, your heart) healthy - a method that relies on

what we've come to know as one of the primary mainstays of

good health: antioxidants.

 

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Deep below the gum line

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This study from the University of Birmingham in the UK is

small, but I think it's important in that it specifically

singles out what could be an effective prevention and

treatment of periodontal disease.

 

The study 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. Last

month I sent you an e-Alert ( " The Workhorse " 1/9/03) with 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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Chicken or egg?

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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.

 

To me, 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 I've explained before that

elevated CRP is a key marker for inflammation. But it does

establish further evidence linking periodontal disease and

heart disease. In an e-Alert I sent you last November ( " Burst

of Inflammation " 11/21/02), I told you about a new study that

showed how the levels of C-reactive protein have been

recognized as an important marker indicating a risk of heart

disease.

 

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 - elevated levels of the

antioxidant glutathione may help prevent periodontal disease.

 

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Protection & prevention

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The upcoming results of more extensive studies (such as the

NIH periodontal/heart disease study) will be needed to

further define the gray areas of this cycle. But for the time

being 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.

 

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.

 

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....and another thing

 

And as long as we're discussing the wide-ranging benefits of

antioxidants, this would be an ideal opportunity to answer

this question sent in by an HSI member who identifies himself

as " EA " :

 

" In your Dec 10 e-Alert ( " Over The Wave " ) you wrote about the

benefits of selenium and recommended an intake of around 200

mcg per day. In your Dec 18 e-Alert ( " Mineral With Muscle " )

you wrote about the synergistic effect between selenium and

vitamin E. What daily dosage would you recommend for vitamin

E for this synergistic effect to be optimal? "

 

As with most matters concerning nutrition and vitamins, I

called on HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., and here's the

good doctor's response to EA:

 

" The 'standard' is usually 400 iu (international units) of

vitamin E and 200 mcg (micrograms) of selenium for general

antioxidant protection. In athletes or in the presence of

heart disease I'd take people higher than that. You can get

too much selenium, and I'd always stay under 1,000 mcg

(personally I never went above 400 mcg).

 

" Now that vitamin E can be obtained as 'mixed tocopherols'

(alpha, beta, gamma, delta), that's the only way it should be

taken (and adding the newer 'tocotrienols' helps even more).

Synthetic vitamin E (dl-alpha) should never be used other

than topically, and natural d-alpha is now inferior to the

mixed form. Vitamin E is so non-toxic that the dose is

difficult to determine...heart disease patients can go up to

2,400 iu or higher (though technically 'iu' only exists

relative to the alpha form, not the other forms).

 

" Finally, those starting out with vitamin E should start with

small amounts and work up. Occasionally the nutrient can be

so stimulating to heart muscle that there can be a transient

increase in blood pressure, so your health care practitioner

should monitor. "

 

My thanks to Dr. Spreen for taking care of the heavy lifting

on this one, and for rounding out our mini seminar on

antioxidants.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

" Glutathione In Gingival Crevicular Fluid and its Relation to

Local Antioxidant Capacity in Periodontal Health and Disease "

Journal of Clinical Pathology, Molecular Pathology,

2002;55:367-373

" Antioxidants Missing in Mouths with Gum Disease " Alison

McCook, Reuters Health, 11/26/02

" New Research Finds Link Between Gum Disease, Acute Heart

Attacks " David Williamson, University of North Carolina at

Chapel Hill, 11/8/00

" Periodontal Disease Index " Family Gentle Dental Care

 

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The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without

written permission.

 

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