When we think “co-morbidities of poor weight control” the first disease entities that come to mind:
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Sleep apnea
- Cancer
- Back/knee/feet pain
A study came out in 2017 that demonstrated that obese people have an up to 6X greater problem with gum disease compared to non-obese people. The cause of this appears to be generalized inflammation that is seen with much greater frequency in obese individuals. There are certain markers of inflammation that can be seen on routing lab testing such as c-reactive protein levels.
Acid reflux is yet another potential contributing cause to dental disease as well. The altered pH of the mouth could encourage the growth of organisms that lead to mouth decay.
There are many more life-altering/life-threatening co-morbidities of poor weight control other than bad gums and teeth. However, for those of you that have recently taken out your debit or charge card to pay your dental bill, you know how much better off you would be to not have those dental problems.
Weight control brings lots of great physical and psychological benefits to us…add improved teeth and gums to this.