Vitamin C Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin C, including details on benefits, dosage, supplements, information.

Grapefruit consumption improves vitamin C status in periodontitis patients.

Staudte H, Sigusch BW, Glockmann E

Department of Conservative Dentistry, Friedrich Schiller University, An der alten Post 4, 07750 Jena, Germany. H.Staudte@gmx.de

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies demonstrate a relationship between a lack of vitamin C and increased risk of periodontal disease. In the present study we examine the vitamin C plasma levels and inflammatory measures in periodontitis patients before and after the consumption of grapefruit. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with chronic periodontitis were assigned to the test group (non-smokers n=21, smokers n=17) and a diseased control group (non-smokers n=11, smokers n=9). Furthermore, 22 healthy subjects were recruited to compare vitamin C plasma levels between periodontally diseased and healthy subjects. Clinical evaluations, including plaque index (PI), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), probing pocket depths (PPD) and plasma vitamin C levels, were performed at baseline, and after two weeks of grapefruit consumption. RESULTS: At baseline, we observed significantly reduced plasma vitamin C levels in the test group and diseased controls in comparison with the healthy controls. On principle, smokers showed lower levels of vitamin C (mean 0.39 +/- 0.17 mg dl(-1)) than non-smokers (mean 0.56+/-0.29 mg dl(-1)). After grapefruit consumption, the mean plasma vitamin C levels rose significantly in the test group compared to the diseased controls (non-smokers: 0.87+/-0.39 mg dl(-1), smokers: 0.74+/-0.30 mg dl(-1)). Furthermore the SBI was reduced in the test group (non-smokers: from 1.68+/-0.6 to 1.05+/-0.6, p<0.001), whereas PI and PPD were unaffected. CONCLUSION: The present results show that periodontitis patients are characterised by plasma vitamin C levels below the normal range, especially in smokers. The intake of grapefruit leads to an increase in plasma vitamin C levels and improves sulcus bleeding scores. Longer term studies are necessary to determine whether other periodontal outcomes improve with such supplementation especially in smokers.

Published 29 August 2005 in Br Dent J, 199(4): 213-7, discussion 210.
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