I should cocoa! Eating Chocolate halves the risk of getting gum disease, study claims By Roger Dobson for The Mail on Sunday Published: 00:00 BST, 7 July 2024 | Updated: 00:13 BST, 7 July 2024 e-mail View comments It's a discovery likely to raise a smile in dentists' waiting rooms nationwide – eating chocolate may halve the risk of gum disease. Researchers suspect antioxidants from cocoa beans, particularly found in dark chocolate, may be the reason. Cheese and unsalted peanuts are also linked to lower risk, but filtered coffee and low-calorie drinks are associated with a higher likelihood of periodontitis.
'Our findings suggest the potential of personalised diets,' reported the study by Chongqing Medical University in China . It used data from the UK Biobank which has lifestyle and health information on more than 500,000 people aged 40 to 69. Researchers suspect antioxidants from cocoa beans, particularly found in dark chocolate, may halve the risk of gum disease (Stock image) Cheese and unsalted peanuts are also linked to lower risk, but filtered coffee and low-calorie drinks are associated with a higher likelihood of periodontitis (Stock image) Chocolate and cheese are linked to a 54 per cent lower risk of gum disease, and unsalted peanuts with a 71 per cent lower risk.
Rice is associated with a 58 per cent reduced risk, says the study in journal Frontiers In Genetics. But drinking filtered coffee gives you a 42 per cent higher chance of gum disease and low-calorie drink.
