It’s a discovery likely to bring a smile to the faces of dentists in waiting rooms across the country: eating chocolate can halve your risk of gum disease.
Researchers suspect that antioxidants in cocoa beans, especially those found in dark chocolate, may be the reason.
Unsalted cheese and peanuts are also linked to a lower risk, but filtered coffee and low-calorie drinks are associated with a higher likelihood of periodontitis.
“Our findings suggest the potential of personalized diets,” reported the study from Chongqing Medical University in China.
Data from the UK Biobank, which contains information on the lifestyle and health of more than 500,000 people aged 40 to 69, were used.
Researchers suspect that antioxidants in cocoa beans, especially those found in dark chocolate, may halve the risk of gum disease (file image)
Unsalted cheese and peanuts are also linked to a lower risk, but filtered coffee and low-calorie drinks are associated with a higher likelihood of periodontitis (File image)
Chocolate and cheese are linked to a 54 percent lower risk of gum disease, and unsalted peanuts to a 71 percent lower risk.
Rice is associated with a 58 percent reduction in risk, according to the study published in the journal Frontiers In Genetics.
But drinking filtered coffee increases the likelihood of gum disease by 42 percent, and low-calorie drinks increase the likelihood by 57 percent. Additives in low-calorie drinks may be a contributing factor.
Dark chocolate contains flavonoids and other antioxidants that may have an inflammation-reducing effect in gum disease.
