We are always looking for new information related to the quality of life for senior citizens, especially brain health and memory tidbits. Here is an interesting one.
Reuters news service recently reported on a study that finds that gum disease can influence brain function. Research has long established an association between poor oral health and heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Alzheimer’s disease is statistically associated with poor oral health, as well. Now researchers from Columbia College Of Physicians and Surgeons in New York have discovered that the inflammation associated with gum disease can cause inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation is a clear risk factor for declining mental health.
This study is especially interesting to senior citizens because data was specifically available for adults aged 60 and older. Those seniors with the highest levels of gum disease were three times more likely to have trouble remembering a three word sequence after the passage of sometime. The study also found that adults with the highest levels of gum disease pathogen were twice as likely to fail three digit reverse subtraction tests.
If you would like more details about this study, take a look at the link below. However, the bottom line is that good oral health, combined with regular trips to the dentist, can improve more than just your teeth. Your whole body, including your brain, will benefit.
Trouble thinking? Better see the dentist | U.S. | Reuters. (n.d.). . Retrieved November 15, 2009, from http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5AC06O20091113
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