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. 2018 Jul 3;19(7):1949.
doi: 10.3390/ijms19071949.

Improved General and Oral Health in Diabetic Patients by an Okinawan-Based Nordic Diet: A Pilot Study

Helene Holmer  1 , Cecilia Widén  2 , Viveca Wallin Bengtsson  3 , Michael Coleman  4 , Björn Wohlfart  5   6 , Stig Steen  7   8 , Rutger Persson  9   10 , Klas Sjöberg  11
Affiliations

Improved General and Oral Health in Diabetic Patients by an Okinawan-Based Nordic Diet: A Pilot Study

Helene Holmer et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Periodontal disease, periodontitis as well as the preceding gingivitis, has been associated with both obesity and diabetes. Studies have shown that diet changes can lead to a lower incidence of such inflammation. The aim of the present case series over four weeks was to study the effects on medical and dental conditions in patients with type 2 diabetes of the consumption of the Okinawan-based Nordic Diet (OBND®). Medical and dental examinations were performed to estimate the general health and gingivitis/periodontitis. Serum cytokine levels were assessed using Luminex technology. Eight of ten study participants completed the study. All participants lost weight (p = 0.012). Six out of seven that were treated with insulin could reduce their insulin intake after two weeks with OBND®. The reduction was about 16 units which corresponds to a 34% relative reduction compared to the starting point (range 15–63%). Fasting blood glucose values fell (p = 0.035). Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (p = 0.01), triglycerides (p = 0.05), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (p = 0.05) were also reduced. Bleeding on probing changed from ~28% before any dietary changes to ~13% after two weeks with OBND® (p = 0.01). The reduction in gingival bleeding was as substantial as might be expected from one session of professional tooth cleaning. Markers of inflammation were also reduced. The OBND® thus showed significant promise in alleviating the impact of diabetes on dental as well as general health.

Keywords: bleeding on probing; clinical study; cytokines; diet; metabolic disorder; oral health.

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Conflict of interest statement

S.S. is the founder of Igelösa Life Science AB. The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Bar chart diagram illustrating changes in insulin dose for the individuals reducing their insulin treatment after two weeks with the Okinawan-based Nordic diet.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Bar chart diagram illustrating changes in HbA1c for all the participating individuals after two weeks with the Okinawan-based Nordic diet.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bar chart diagram illustrating mean changes in bleeding on probing (BOP; %) at different time points of the study (baseline [mean ± S.D.; 27.1 ± 10.0], before study diet [28.5 ± 8.7] and at study endpoint [13.3 ± 7.0]).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Scatterplot diagram illustrating the relationships between bleeding on probing (BOP; %) and levels of HbA1c (mmol/mol) at study endpoint.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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