Research Review: Sugar Intake Linked to Oral Health and Hypertension in Postmenopausal Women

You have probably heard the old saying, “You are what you eat.” Recent University at Buffalo studies have found that phrase is basically true for postmenopausal women. Not only does their diet impact their overall health, it also effects their oral health and perhaps even the health of their digestive system.

UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP) recently shared results from two studies — “Study: Carbs, sugary foods may influence poor oral health” and “UB study finds some oral bacteria linked with hypertension in older women” — that demonstrate the connections between diet and oral health in postmenopausal women. To learn more, Buffalo Research News spoke with SPHHP researchers Amy E. Millen, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, and Michael J. LaMonte, PhD, MPH, Research Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health.

Millen and her team were interested in exploring whether specific types of carbohydrates (such as fiber and sugar) were connected to different bacteria in the mouth. Past research shows that poor gum health is linked to other health problems, like cardiovascular disease, and it is understood that too much sugar in our diets can led to gum disease and tooth decay. But how does our normal, everyday diet, influence our oral health? And what does that mean for the rest of our health?

Carbohydrates can be found in different types of food — chocolate candy and candy bars, non-fat yogurts (not frozen), sugar added to coffee, tea or cereal, doughnuts, cakes, or pastries, hard candy, jams, jelly, honey, or syrup, low-fat or non-fat frozen desserts. The team's research discovered connections between total carbohydrate intake, as well as carbohydrate intake in the form of the simple sugar sucrose, and bad oral bacteria that may lead to gum and cardiovascular disease.

The link between disease and oral health is also a familiar topic for LaMonte and his team. In this study, the team discovered a connection between oral bacteria and increased risk of high blood pressure in women after menopause. This finding is important because it suggests that improvements to oral health might decrease risk of developing high blood pressure and, as a result, the risks of health problems caused by high blood pressure like stroke, heart failure, kidney, and eye disease.

So, what does this all mean for women after menopause and their oral health?

“Postmenopausal women should be reminded to brush and floss their teeth regularly, especially after consuming such foods listed above,” Millen explains.  

When asked how postmenopausal women can decrease their risk of high blood pressure based on his team’s new findings, LaMonte advised readers that they should first and most importantly “continue to follow the standard recommendation to control blood pressure and prevent the development of high blood pressure. Don’t smoke, eat a balanced diet with modest salt intake, stay physically active, monitor your blood pressure at home, and communicate with your health care provider. Our findings do suggest that maintaining good oral hygiene might prove to be, yet another positive health behavior linked with healthy blood pressure levels. Hopefully other studies will confirm our results.”  

For more SPHHP research highlights, visit publichealth.buffalo.edu/home/research.html.