Like most people, I like my morning cup of coffee. It wakes
me up and helps me get on with the day and it’s also my energy booster in
the afternoons when I need to stay on schedule. Thankfully, there is new
research out that reveals our mugful might do more than just boost energy;
it could protect our teeth too. Boston University researchers
discovered that men who drank one or more cups of coffee per day showed
significantly less bone loss in their teeth over 30 years than those who
sipped less.
Along with having sturdier and yes, more stained teeth, the
daily coffee drinkers showed no signs of gum disease, like bleeding gums. This
was even after the researchers controlled for factors that could increase their
risk, like alcohol consumption, smoking, and brushing or flossing too hard.
Coffee, it seems, was an X-factor in keeping these teeth healthy.
According to study’s author Raul Garcia, this could be thanks to
the chemical components in brewed coffee, which have antioxidants and
anti-inflammatory effects. These compounds, including caffeine, caffeic acid,
and chlorogenic acid combat the oxidative damage and inflammation that cause
gum disease. Oxidative damage can also lead to a whole host of diseases that
affect your whole body, like rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
Although these benefits are encouraging, too much coffee per day
may have other negative consequences, such as sleeping problems. More
than four cups a day has also been linked to irritability, rapid heartbeat, and
even an increased risk of early death.
So how much coffee is ideal for our teeth? In
the study Garcia didn’t report any data about it but it was
suggested that an average of two or more cups a day had the most benefit.
One important note to remember is that if you take your coffee with sugar,
you up your risk of cavities. So I’m happy with my two, none sweeten
cups of coffee and I use teeth whiting treatments to combat the
stains. Cheers!!