Cutting daily calories could help reduce gum disease: study

Cut the calories if you want to keep your pearly whites.

A new study, published in Clinical Oral Investigations, found that cutting back on daily calories could help to slow the progression of gum disease.

Researchers at King’s College London analyzed the results of several studies conducted on both humans and animals to discern the benefits of restricting calories compared to a usual diet.

The team determined that restricting caloric intake “might have the potential to reduce the local and systemic hyper-inflammatory state as well as disease progression” of periodontitis — a serious but fairly common gum disease impacting nearly half of Americans 30 years and older.

“Caloric restriction to 500 to 1,300 calories/day for short durations, with or without associated physical exercise, have been proposed so far,” Professor Luigi Nibali, Professor of Periodontology at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences at King’s College London, said in a statement.

“However, other regimes which can be proven to be both feasible and effective could be introduced in future.”

Periodontal disease is the advanced stage of gingivitis, or when the gums become swollen and red as they pull away from the tooth. The infection can lead to tooth loss and the destruction of the jaw bone and is also a risk factor for heart and lung diseases.

It is usually caused by poor oral hygiene and can be prevented by brushing and flossing your teeth every day — or a healthy and more restrictive caloric intake.

“With proper nutrition and focus on what the body needs, it is possible to avoid and in some cases reverse damage done from past negative consequences,” triple-board certified Psychiatrist Dr. Raafat W. Girgisfrom Moment of Clarity told The Post.

“It is never too late — the body and brain are both designed to heal themselves,” he said.

In general, registered nurse Llinos Connolly from Benenden Health advises that everyone “try to eat three balanced meals a day, basing your meals on whole foods rather than ultra-processed foods which often contain higher levels of sugar and trans fats,” she told The Post in a statement.