Stock up on Skippy because a new study involving 9,000 adults conducted at the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health found eating foods containing polyunsaturated fatty acids such as peanut butter and salmon reduced gum disease.
That’s great news, but why would anyone ever think of conducting this study? Researcher Asghar Z. Naqvi said:
“To date, the treatment of periodontitis has primarily involved mechanical cleaning and local antibiotic application. Thus, a dietary therapy, if effective, might be a less expensive and safer method for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis.”
The specific fatty acids associated with gum disease reduction were docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which the study revealed a 20 percent reduction in the number of subjects with gum disease for those with highest DHA intake.
That’s sweet, but don’t use this as an excuse to go crazy with the Reeses, Peanut Chews, or Nutter Butters.
Foods containing peanut butter that are also high in sugar most likely are not going to have the same benefit since gum disease and high sugar intake are linked.
If you’re looking for some dental benefits, stick with some kind of low sugar peanut butter
[Image via AP Images.]
