Vitamin D.

Getting enough vitamin D from the foods you eat and from sunlight could help your oral health, new findings suggest. A study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2004, vol. 80, pp. 108-113) shows that participants who had higher levels of an indicator of vitamin D in their blood serum had better periodontal health than those participants with lower levels of the biomarker, known as 25-hydroxy vitamin D3. Eighty percent of the participants had lower-than-desired vitamin D levels. The scientists suspect that vitamin D cuts down on the inflammatory response that could otherwise lead to periodontal disease. A chronic inflammatory condition, periodontal disease is marked by loss of attachment of the thin ligaments that connect teeth with their surrounding bone sockets. Egg yolk, liver and fatty fish, such as salmon, are naturally rich in vitamin D. Milk and some breakfast cereals are fortified with this nutrient. Sunlight stimulates our skin to make it. Contact: Bess Dawson-Hughes, USDA-ARS Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University,711 Washington St., Boston, MA 02111. Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. Email: [e-mail].