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Posts with tag gums

Chew gum for your health!

The average American chews nearly 2 pounds of gum each year. Most like the flavors or the mouth-freshening feel of mint gums, but there is far more to gum-chewing than what your taste buds experience. Scientists are continually finding new ways that gum can benefit us, from the alertness brought on by the simple activity of chewing to the potentially medically beneficial ingredients that can be added by gum manufacturers to turn it into the "delivery vehicle of the future".

Medical benefits from gum? You better believe it! Studies show that gum chewing is can help fight the development of cavities by stimulating the production of acid-neutralizing saliva. Xylitol, a common gum ingredient, has been shown to have more specific cavity-fighting properties, as well. It can also, as noted above, help to fight bad breath.

Gums available in Europe and Asia have ingredients like green tea extract, calcium and other nutritional supplements that would typically be found in a vitamin pill. Some children's gums already contain Vitamin-C, for instance. In addition to replacing vitamin pills and supplements, some doctors are considering gum as an alternative to pill-forms of prescription medicines because they would make medicine so easy to "take." Of course, the overall effectiveness of such a plan has not yet been thoroughly tested, although it is known that many substances are very easily absorbed through the gums, but because gum "can contain as many as 70 ingredients" it is certainly possible for thousands of different formulations to be put together.

Continue reading Chew gum for your health!

Red wine is good for the gums

Red wine still isn't the best drink for teeth because, like coffee, it can stain the enamel. But new studies show that it may help fight and prevent gum disease, periodontitis. Canadian scientists say that the antioxidant properties of polyphenols in red wine can fight the free radicals released by the bacteria that cause gum disease. This will reduce inflammation and decrease the severity of the disease, though there has not been a conclusive link shown between wine drinkers and a reduced risk of periodontitis yet. For non-drinkers, these same polyphenols have been found in cranberry juice, as well as red wine.

Grapefruit may help gum disease

Eating two grapefruits a day seems to help heal bleeding gums, according to the results of recent study from a German university. The high levels of Vitamin C apparently helped promote wound healing and reduced damage by free radicals, according to a recent article in The Times of India. Of the nearly 60 participants in the study from Friedrich Schiller University, smokers in the group generally had 29 percent lower levels of Vitamin C than non-smokers. It's unclear why levels of the vitamin were lower in smokers.

I'm not sure why researchers focused on grapefruits in particular. I guess if you take anything away from this news, it's that Vitamin C may help your gums. If 14 grapefruits a week is too much for you though, just floss.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]

Tip of the Day

Butterscotch sauce is a rich and buttery treat that makes a great seasonal dessert topper in place of chocolate or whipped cream.

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