Dieting May Help Older Men Dodge Gum Disease

BALTIMORE, Md.--For men, especially older men, dieting may help reduce the risk of gum disease, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and other institutions.

The study, of 81 rhesus monkeys at the National Institutes of Health, showed that males fed a diet of 30 percent fewer calories for 13 to 17 years had significantly lower levels of a gum-damaging condition known as periodontal pocketing, less immune response to invading bacteria, and higher inflammatory molecules than males fed a normal diet. Periodontal inflammation and disease start from bacteria.

Also, for the monkeys not fed the reduced-calorie diet, males showed “significantly greater periodontal breakdown” than females. Consistent with previous studies of humans, the monkeys in the study showed an increasing degree of gum problems as they aged.