A recent Canadian university study has found that diet rich is whole grains may benefit oral health. Researchers at McMaster University in Ontario determined that whole grains help the body process blood sugar, which helps to prevent periodontitis, also known as gum disease. The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers are still working to determine whether there is a connection between a diet high in whole grains and fiber and a decreased risk of gum disease. Initial findings, however, are positive. The diets of roughly 34,000 men were studied over a 14-year period. Of those nearly 1,900 developed gum disease. Those who consumed more whole grain breads and brown rice were 23 percent less likely to develop the oral condition.

If a whole grain diet is connected to oral health what do these findings mean for individuals who are on low carbohydrate diets? Over the past several years an increasing number of people have embraced the low-carb lifestyle in order to lose weight. Are those people at greater risk for gum disease? Are there an increasing number of cases of this ailment because of the diet trend? Perhaps Atkins followers are trading oral health for decreased body weight.