Two grapefruits a day keeps gum disease away

Two grapefruits a day keeps gum disease away

German researchers have found that people suffering from gum disease who ate at least two grapefruits everyday for two weeks, showed marked reduction in gum bleeding.

The reason is believed by the researchers to be the vitamin C in grapefruits (approximately 92.5mg per grapefruit), levels of which increases in the blood levels, helping in healing wounds and cutting damages caused by unstable free radicals.

The research was conducted in the German university, Friedrich Schiller and was published by the British Dental Journal.

58 people with chronic gum disease were studied. They were asked to eat two grapefruits everyday. They were instructed not to use brush on their teeth immediately after consumption since acidic citrus fruits, by weakening tooth enamel, make it prone to erosion.

Interestingly, both smoking and non-smoking grapefruit eaters showed equally positive effects despite smoking being known to increase gum disease risk.

When the two-week long study began, almost every one of the 58 had very low Vitamin C levels in their blood with smokers having 29% lesser levels compared to non-smokers. Grapefruit increased Vitamin C levels in the blood plasma of almost everyone.

Yet it was observed that Vitamin C level almost doubled in smokers since they began at a very low level. In the end, however, their level was still lower than the rest. The reason for this could be that smoker's consume unhealthier diet than the rest.

Various types of gum diseases across the world are responsible for tooth loss in the long run. This study and its findings will help to reiterate the benefit of a good diet rich in Vitamin C for better teeth and gums.