Healthy teeth =healthy heart
4th Dec 2005, 01:02 GMT
I insist that my children brush their teeth twice a day; what mother doesn't? Sometimes my kids rebel or complain but I buckle down and make them do it anyway. It turns out that this might help more than just their smile. Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University show that there might be a link between chronic gum disease and heart disease. Patients with severe periodontitis have elevated levels of small-dense LDL, a particularly nasty sub group of low density lipoprotein (LDL), in their plasma. “Previous research has shown that people who have predominantly small-dense LDL in their blood are at a three- to six-fold increased risk of heart disease and stroke”, said lead author Rik van Antwerpen, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biochemistry at VCU. “A person may have predominantly small-dense LDL without having alarmingly high blood levels of cholesterol. Therefore, unhealthy levels of small-dense LDL are not always detected in regular cholesterol tests.” Although I suspect my kids are not interested in learning the mysteries of low density LDL's, I will continue to force the brushing issue with them. I bet someday they will appreciate my pushiness. Read Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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