However, the researchers are hesitant to give omega-3's full
credit just yet, as other factors might be involved, too.
Advanced gum disease, known as periodontitis, is a chronic
inflammation caused by the accumulation of bacteria at the gum
line. The condition can lead to bone and tooth loss. "The
bacteria involved seem to need inflammation to grow," senior
researcher Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal of Harvard Medical School,
Boston, told Reuters Health in an e-mail. "Indeed, anti-
inflammatory treatment with omega-3's seems to help experimental
periodontitis in rabbits. Our hope was to extend that to
humans." Mukamal and his colleagues studied more than 9,000
adults, all participants in the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey between 1999 and 2004. About eight percent of
the participants had gum disease, report the researchers in the
Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Based on the
participants' recalls of their diets over the previous 24 hours,
the team found that those who consumed intermediat