Brushing your teeth and flossing helps keep your teeth healthy, and leading an active lifestyle is good for your bones, but you can put your diet to work for these purposes as well. Many vitamins are good for your bones and gums, building bone strength and density and preventing gum disease and bleeding.
Vitamin D
Include adequate amounts of vitamin D in your diet to improve the health of your gums and bones. A study published in the September 2009 issue of the "Journal of Periodontology" reveals that test subjects who took 400 IU of vitamin D each day along with calcium had improved periodontal health over those who didn't take supplements. This vitamin helps your body absorb calcium, so it is critical for bone strength and density. Adequate intake stands at 200 IU per day for adult males and females. You can get vitamin D from the sun and by consuming fortified milk, eggs and fish.
Vitamin K
Taking in the right amount of vitamin K provides critical benefits for your bones and gums, so eat plenty of liver, turnip greens, parsley, broccoli and asparagus to boost your consumption of this vitamin. Your body uses vitamin K to allow absorption of calcium, which makes it a good choice for improving bone density. It may also limit bleeding of the gums, a problem that may occur when you have gum disease. Evidence available in the May 1984 "Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, and Oral Pathology" journal correlates a vitamin K deficiency with bleeding gums triggered by chemotherapy.
Vitamin C
Eat citrus and other foods high in vitamin C to boost your intake of this vitamin; it helps keep your bones and gums healthy. Vitamin C impacts bone health through its collagen production-boosting qualities. As you get older, you may develop osteoporosis, a condition that damages cartilage and promotes wear and tear on bones. Collagen makes up cartilage, so increasing your vitamin C consumption keeps your cartilage in good condition, which protects your bones. Research in the January 2010 edition of the "Archives of Oral Biology" indicates that vitamin C may have some benefits in the relief of periodontal disease.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is good for your bones, particularly if you are an older person. A study in the September 2002 "Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry" suggests that vitamin E improves bone quality, although studies were carried out on geriatric mice, so human studies are needed to determine if the findings correlate to men and women. Vitamin E also helps your body use vitamin K, so it promotes the bone benefits associated with vitamin K consumption as well as the prevention of bleeding gums. You can find vitamin E in liver, eggs, nuts and sunflower seeds.
References
- "Journal of Periodontology"; Cross-Sectional Study of Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation Effects on Chronic Periodontitis; D.D. Miley, et al.; September 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Vitamin D; April 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin K; June 2009
- "Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, and Oral Pathology"; Chemotherapy-Associated Oral Hemorrhages in Adults With Acute Leukemia; S. Dreizen, et al.; May 1984
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid); June 2009
- "Archives of Oral Biology"; Vitamin C Attentuates the Cytotoxic Effects of Porphyromonas Gingivalis on Human Gingival Fibroblasts; H. Staudte, et al.; January 2010
