Carbs, sugary foods may influence poor oral health: Study

New research on postmenopausal women identifies associations between commonly eaten foods and the diversity and composition of oral bacteria

The foods we eat on a regular basis influence the makeup of the bacteria, both good and bad, in our mouths. And researchers are finding that this collective of bacteria known as the oral microbiome likely plays a large role in our overall health, in addition to its previously known associations with tooth decay and periodontal disease.

Scientists from the University at Buffalo (UB) in the US have shown how eating certain types of foods impacts the oral microbiome of postmenopausal women. They found that higher intake of sugary and high glycemic load foods like doughnuts and other baked goods, regular soft drinks, breads and non-fat yogurts may influence poor oral health and, perhaps, systemic health outcomes in older women due to the influence these foods have on the oral microbiome.

In a study in Scientific Reports, an open access journal from the publishers of Nature, the UB-led team investigated whether carbohydrates and sucrose, or table sugar, were associated with the diversity and composition of oral bacteria in a sample of 1,204 postmenopausal women using data from the Women’s Health Initiative.

It is the first study to examine carbohydrate intake and the subgingival microbiome in a sample consisting exclusively of postmenopausal women. The study was unique in that the samples were taken from subgingival plaque, which occurs under the gums, rather than salivary bacteria.

The researchers observed Leptotrichia spp., which has been associated with gingivitis, a common gum disease, in some studies, to be positively associated with sugar intake.