Field Notes

New Research Connects High-Sugar Diet With Periodontal Diseases

A new study shows that sweet soft drinks and lots of sugar may increase the risk of both dental cavities and inflammation of the gums—known as periodontal diseases; if this is the case, then healthful eating habits should be prioritized even more, according to a team of researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark.

Most of us are aware that sweets and other sugary food and drink increase the risk of dental cavities. A new research result now suggests that a sugary diet also can promote periodontal diseases.

The results have been obtained in connection with a critical review of the literature over the past 50 years and are published in the Journal of Oral Microbiology.

“Sugar hasn’t traditionally been associated with the development of periodontal diseases. It’s true that, back in the 1970s, two American researchers suggested that a diet which was high in carbohydrates could be a common risk factor for both dental diseases and inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, but this knowledge was largely forgotten again,” says Bente Nyvad, DDS, PhD, MPH, Dr Odont, a professor in the department of dentistry and oral health at Aarhus, who has headed the research.

“Today, there’s general agreement that the above-mentioned diseases are associated with a high sugar intake. However, a hypothesis that could link and explain the two major dental diseases, caries and periodontitis, has been lacking,” she says.

In the new research project, the researchers have arrived at a common hypothesis for the development of the two major dental diseases. The hypothesis is based on the biochemical processes that take place in the bacterial deposits on teeth when you add copious amounts of nutrients to the bacteria—particularly when you eat sugar.

“In other words, we revive the ‘forgotten’ hypothesis that sugar can promote both dental cavities and periodontal diseases,” Nyvad says, emphasizing the importance of continuing to brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, even if you cut down on sugar.

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. Nyvad therefore recommends that healthful eating habits should be given much higher priority if the goal is to avoid expensive health care treatments.

— Source: Aarhaus University

 

Yogurt Consumption Possibly Linked to Lower Breast Cancer Risk

A group of researchers hypothesizes that one of the causes of breast cancer may be inflammation triggered by harmful bacteria. These scientists say their idea—as of yet unproven—is supported by the available evidence, which is that bacterial-induced inflammation is linked to cancer.

Their paper, published in the journal Medical Hypotheses, contends that “there is a simple, inexpensive potential preventive remedy, which is for women to consume natural yogurt on a daily basis.”

Yogurt contains beneficial lactose-fermenting bacteria commonly found in milk, similar to the bacteria—or microflora—found in the breasts of mothers who have breast-fed.

“We now know that breastmilk is not sterile and that lactation alters the microflora of the breast,” says Rachael Rigby, PhD, a senior lecturer in the department of biomedical and life sciences at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.

“Lactose-fermenting bacteria are commonly found in milk and are likely to occupy the breast ducts of women during lactation and for an unknown period after lactation,” she adds.

The researchers’ suggestion is that this lactose-fermenting bacteria in the breast is protective because each year of breast-feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer by 4.3%.

Several other studies have shown that the consumption of yogurt is associated with a reduction in breast cancer risk, which the researchers suggest may be due to the displacement of harmful bacteria by beneficial bacteria.

There are approximately 10 billion bacterial cells in the human body, and, while most are harmless, some bacteria create toxins that trigger inflammation in the body.

Chronic inflammation destroys the harmful germs but also damages the body. One of the most common inflammatory conditions is gum disease, or periodontitis, which already has been linked to oral, esophageal, colonic, pancreatic, prostatic, and breast cancers.

The researchers conclude, “The stem cells which divide to replenish the lining of the breast ducts are influenced by the microflora, and certain components of the microflora have been shown in other organs, such as the colon and stomach, to increase the risk of cancer development.

“Therefore, a similar scenario is likely to be occurring in the breast, whereby resident microflora impact on stem cell division and influence cancer risk.”

— Source: Lancaster University