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Need another reason to start losing any extra pounds you may be carrying? Here’s one… Obese men, besides the extra weight, also carry a higher risk for painful, potentially dangerous gum problems than normal weight adults according to new research.

You’ve most likely heard of the relatively mild and usually reversible form of gum disease - gingivitis. This is where only the gums are affected. However, if left untreated, this can escalate to periodontitis where bacteria in the plaque provoke an inflammatory response that can be very destructive.

As a silently progressing condition, periodontal disease often doesn’t show symptoms until it has a firm foothold in your mouth.

In this latest study, researchers looked at results for nearly 37,000 men who were part of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) that began in 1986.

The program is designed to compliment the all-female Nurses’ Health Study and looks at the relationship between nutritional factors and the incidence of serious diseases like cancer, heart disease and vascular problems.

Much effort had already been spent on researching the link between gum disease and cardiovascular risk.

To identify if there is a link between periodontal disease and obesity, the researchers analyzed data covering 16 years for the subjects, all of whom were gum disease free at the start of the research.

Data on height, weight, waist/hip measurements was pulled together, as well as information on gum disease. Using the standard approach to defining obesity, a BMI of 30 of higher, Monik Jimenez, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health, found that obesity brought an increased risk of periodontal disease.

Jimenez will present the findings at the 2009 International Association for Dental Research general session in Miami Beach.

Not only higher BMI’s, but waist circumferences were also linked by this study to a higher risk of gum disease. A waist measurement of 40 inches or more, considered a risk for heart disease, upped the risk of gum disease by 19% as compared to those with measurements under the 40-inch mark.

“Obesity was associated with a 29 percent increased risk of periodontal disease over the course of the study.” Jimenez said.

Some good news is that there was only a small increase in risk of periodontal disease for those who were overweight, but not obese.

In a linked work, Jimenez and colleagues at the University of Puerto Rico discovered that a higher waist-hip ratio (WHR) was connected to a greater risk of moderately severe gum disease in men and women over 70 years old.

In women, an elevated waist-to-hip ratio is .88 or above; for men it’s .95 or higher. Here’s how the calculation is made, a woman with a 36-inch waist and 40-inch hips has a WHR of .90 (36/40 = .90). Subjects with elevated waist-to-hip ratios were almost 6 times more likely to have periodontal disease.

This research continues to expand upon on earlier studies that link gum disease with heart disease, as well as gum disease with cancer risk in males. Gum disease for diabetics is also known to be higher.

Are you worried about your own gums? Your own oral health?

A great start is to go for a heart healthy diet that’s also good for your gums, brush and clean between your teeth several times each day, and don’t put off regular visits to the dentist as they will be the first to spot any real problems.

Caught early, periodontal disease can usually be treated successfully - so you don’t have to lose a tooth.

You might also want to consider the online risk assessment tools available to find out where you stand today. If you have symptoms of gum problems a visit to your dentist is in order to keep your mouth, and your whole body, healthy.

Next - Just head on over to the Daily Health Bulletin for more information on obesity and gum disease, plus for a limited time get 5 free fantastic health reports. Click here for the video of the link between obesity and gum problems.