Red Wine and Cranberry Juice: Good Guys for Gums
Based on the web posting “One More Thing Red Wine is Good for: Your Gums”
Edited Article and Commentary by Dr. Don Rose, Writer,
Life Alert
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Seniors need to be extra careful about protecting their teeth, and that means making
sure their gums are healthy as well, since healthy gums provide crucial support
for teeth. Red wine has been a “star food” of late; some well-publicized
studies showed that it appears to have beneficial effects on several areas of the
body (e.g., the heart, brain and eyes). Now research seems to indicate it has healthy
effects on the gums as well. Another red berry-derived liquid that’s related
to red wine - cranberry juice - also appears to be “berry berry” good
for the gums. More info below. --Dr. Don Rose
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Introduction
The health benefits of red wine have been well publicized in recent years. For example,
there is evidence that red wine might
slow Alzheimer's,
spare us from cataracts, and
cut the risk of some cancers. It has also been shown to help the
heart. Pretty potent stuff.
Now the
London
Times reports on a recent Canadian study suggesting that key ingredients
found in red wine (and its relative, cranberry juice) might also stave off
periodontitis. This
gum disease,
afflicting about 65 percent of folks over 50, can lead to loss of bone – and
eventually, teeth.
Fruits, Veggies, Red Wine and Cranberry Juice: Good for Getting Good Gums
Periodontitis “is caused by bacteria that stimulate the immune cells and release
highly active oxygen free radicals”. The
London Times article details how a research team from the Université
Laval, in Quebec, is convinced that the antioxidants in many fruits and vegetables
- and in red wine - can counter the free radicals. The researchers used an extract
of cranberry juice, very similar to the
polyphenols
found in red wine, to test the effects of polyphenols on the immune response from
a range of bacteria commonly found in the mouth.
The result: the researchers found that cranberry juice was a “potent inhibitor”
of inflammation. This suggests that it could form the basis of a new type of gum
therapy; “cranberry constituents may offer perspectives for the development
of a new … approach to the prevention and treatment of periodontitis”.
Closing Thoughts
A growing body of evidence suggests that increasing one’s intake of cranberry
juice and red wine - as well as related products (e.g., juices) derived from fruits
and vegetables - is likely to provide a range of health benefits for the body, especially
the gums. Hence, increasing the amounts of these items in the diet would seem to
be a prudent move. If you want to avoid the alcohol in wine, other foods that contain
the beneficial polyphenols found in red wine (for instance, cranberry juice) appear
to be a good alternative.
Resources
Those wishing to access more information about why cranberry juice is helpful to
dental health can read the detailed research report from the
Journal of Dental Research.
This article is based on a web posting titled “
One
More Thing Red Wine is Good for: Your Gums”, on the
Sports Geezer website (no author name was listed). The information provided
is, to the best of our knowledge, reliable and accurate. However, while Life Alert
always strives to provide true, precise and consistent information, we cannot guarantee
100 percent accuracy. Readers are encouraged to review the original article, and
use any resource links provided to gather more information before drawing conclusions
and making decisions. The article on this
Life Alert
website and the content it is based on are covered by a
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Don Rose writes books, papers and articles on computers, the Internet, AI, science
and technology, and issues related to seniors.
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