Vegans Brushing for B12
Drs. Versman, Heller, and Beckman know that proper nutrition plays an important role
in maintaining good oral health for both gums and teeth, but with new dietary
trends rising, like paleolithic, vegetarian, or veganism, some could be lacking
essential vitamins. Periodontal Associates wants to announce that there is good news as products like Vegan toothpaste are being created to compensate for
missing nutrition.
An
article was recently written in Gizmag
outlining how a German cosmetics company called Sante joined forces with the
German Vegetarian Society to enhance toothpaste with organic vitamin B12.
This is crucial for vegans in
particular as B12 is normally found in meats, fish, cheese, yogurt,
and eggs, and veganism is defined as a type of
vegetarian diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products, and all other
animal-derived ingredients.
In
order to find a replacement source, a study was conducted to test the
effectiveness of B12 delivery through toothpaste. This study was conducted over a five week period. The subjects were 127 healthy vegans as well
as vegetarians between the ages of 18 and 64.
These participants went without consuming B6, B12,
or folic acid enriched foods or supplements.
85 participants used the B12 toothpaste while the other half
used placebo toothpaste. At the end of
the five week study, blood tests were taken and compared to the blood samples
obtained before the study.
The
conclusion? The participants who were
using the toothpaste had a 50% increase in B12 levels while the
control group using a placebo experienced a 22% decrease. To make matters worse, the control group also
had a 65% increase in holotranscobalamin II, which is a marker for B12
depletion.
This
vegan friendly toothpaste delivers 100 µg
of vitamin B12 per gram which means users are receiving more than the 2.4 µg recommendation per day as
long as consumers brush at least twice daily (Drs. Versman, Heller, and Beckman
hope you are doing this and flossing, too).
Exceeding the recommended does is not harmful at all, and women who are
breastfeeding actually need more than 2.4 µg daily.
It
is important to take nutrition seriously as B12 deficiency can lead to anemia,
heart and nervous problems, and increased risk of developing dementia. If you have been following along with Periodontal
Associates’ blogs or check our website, www.periodontalhealth.com,
you would know those people with heart and other health problems can then lead
to increased risk for periodontal disease.
This is a vicious cycle, so the new toothpaste comes as a relief as it
not only helps to keep a happy, healthy mouth but a properly balanced diet.
If
you do have any other questions about nutritional needs, especially to help
prevent gum disease, give Drs. Versman, Heller, and Beckman a call at (303)
755-4500. We would love for you to come
in to Periodontal Associates to meet our hygienists, Carolyn and Michelle,
allowing them and our doctors to assess you dental needs. You could call for an appointment or click
here to schedule. We are located in
Aurora, CO but our patients come from near and far to see our periodontal disease
specialists, Drs. Versman, Heller, and Beckman.
I
promise, Periodontal Associates will give you something to smile about!
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Dr. Versman, Dr. Heller, and Dr. Beckman would like to thank you for taking the time to visit their blog and we would love to hear from you!
For more information, to schedule an appointment or a dental consultation, please visit us at www.periodontalhealth.com