(Photo credit: Kathrin Ziegler/Getty Images)

Older adults with an insufficient intake of dietary lycopene — a carotenoid typically found in tomatoes and tomato-based products — experienced a much higher risk of severe periodontitis (PD), according to a December study published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging. 

“Dietary lycopene intake is associated with reduced risk of severe PD, particularly in non-Hispanic White individuals (NHW) over 65 years old,” authors said. “PD was more common in men and non-Hispanic Black (NHB) individuals, with a latter group showing a higher prevalence of severe PD. Our results suggest that future PD prevention strategies should consider targeted, race-and sex-specific dietary interventions.”

The study analyzed complete responses on lycopene intake and oral health records from 1,227 adults aged 65–79 years included in three consecutive two-year survey cycle datasets (2009–2014) combined and extracted from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset. 

Trained staff conducted in-person, face-to-face interviews with qualified participants in their homes and oral health examinations were performed in a mobile examination center (MEC). A lycopene intake of 8,000 mcg or more from daily food was defined as sufficient while less than 8,000 mcg was defined as insufficient.

The results showed that 246 participants (22.1%) had sufficient lycopene intake, while 981 (77.9%) had insufficient intake. Meanwhile, the prevalence of all levels of PD was 48.7% with older females being significantly less likely to develop PD than males and approximately half the likelihood of developing severe or non-severe PD. Additionally, NHB individuals comprised 10.5% of the participants but approximately 12.2% of severe PD diagnoses. This is nearly three times higher than the rate for NHW individuals. 

Authors note that periodontitis affects over 70% of US adults over the age of 65. Lycopene contributes to cognitive longevity and the treatment of several neuronal diseases, including cerebral ischemia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, subarachnoid hemorrhage, epilepsy, Huntington’s disease, and depression.