If you suffer from gum disease, you may find that eating grapefruit significantly reduces bleeding. Researchers from the Friedrich Schiller University, Germany, discovered that people with gum disease experienced much less bleeding (of the gums) if they ate two grapefruits a day for two weeks. It was suggested that the grapefruit helped the 58 volunteers increase their levels of vitamin C in their blood, which accelerated healing and mopped up a much higher number of harmful free radicals. The volunteers consisted of smokers and non-smokers. Nearly all of the volunteers had very low vitamin C levels in their blood. The smokers’ levels of vitamin C were nearly one third lower than the non-smokers. The smokers’ vitamin C levels nearly doubled during the two weeks of eating two grapefruits per day. Even so, their levels were still lower than the non-smokers. In order to keep up your levels of vitamins you need to consume them regularly. The body is not able to store large amounts. The researchers told the volunteers not to brush their teeth straight after eating grapefruit as it is acidic and can weaken the enamel that covers the teeth. Smoking is associated with a much higher incidence of gum disease. You can read about this study in the British Dental Journal.www.nature.com/bdj/index.html
