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. 2022 May 5;14(9):1939.
doi: 10.3390/nu14091939.

Vitamin C and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake Is Associated with Human Periodontitis-A Nested Case-Control Study

Louisa Mewes  1   2 , Carina Knappe  3   4 , Christian Graetz  1 , Juliane Wagner  4   5 , Tobias J Demetrowitsch  6 , Julia Jensen-Kroll  6 , Karim Mohamed Fawzy El-Sayed  1   7 , Karin Schwarz  6 , Christof E Dörfer  1 , Stefan Schreiber  4   8 , Matthias Laudes  3   4   8 , Dominik M Schulte  3   4   8
Affiliations

Vitamin C and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake Is Associated with Human Periodontitis-A Nested Case-Control Study

Louisa Mewes et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids (Ω3FA) modulate periodontitis-associated inflammatory processes. The aim of the current investigation was to evaluate associations of oral nutrient intake and corresponding serum metabolites with clinical severity of human periodontitis. Within the Food Chain Plus cohort, 373 periodontitis patients—245 without (POL) and 128 with tooth loss (PWL)—were matched to 373 controls based on sex, smoking habit, age and body mass index in a nested case-control design. The amount of oral intake of vitamins and Ω3FAs was assessed from nutritional data using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Oral intake and circulatory bioavailability of vitamins and Ω3FA serum metabolomics were compared, using ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry. Periodontitis patients exhibited a significantly higher oral intake of vitamin C and Ω3FA Docosapentaenoic acid (p < 0.05) compared to controls. Nutritional intake of vitamin C was higher in PWL, while the intake of Docosapentaenoic acid was increased in POL (p < 0.05) compared to controls. In accordance, serum levels of Docosapentaenoic acid were also increased in POL (p < 0.01) compared to controls. Vitamin C and the Ω3FA Docosapentaenoic acid might play a role in the pathophysiology of human periodontitis. Further studies on individualized nutritional intake and periodontitis progression and therapy are necessary.

Keywords: metabolite; nutrition; omega-3 fatty acid; periodontitis; vitamin C.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Box whisker plot of daily food intake measured in (a) kilojoules and (b) grams per day of all controls (C) and periodontitis patients (P), as well as the periodontitis groups without (POL)—and with tooth loss (PWL) with pair matched controls (COL, CWL). Extreme outliers (3xIQR) are not shown in the figure but were included in the analysis. p-values for group comparison: (a) (C vs. P: p = 0.054; COL vs. POL: p = 0.23; CWL vs. PWL: p = 0.11), (b) (C vs. P: p = 0.40; COL vs. POL: p = 0.26; CWL vs. PWL p = 0.86).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Box whisker plot of organic acids and fatty acids between all controls (C) and periodontitis patients (P), as well as the periodontitis groups without (POL)—and with tooth loss (PWL) with pair matched controls (COL, CWL). Extreme outliers (3xIQR) are not shown in the figure but were included in the analysis. * Significant findings; (a) Dietary intake of organic acids (C vs. P: p = 0.021 *; COL vs. POL: p = 0.132; CWL vs. PWL: p = 0.083), (b) Dietary intake of vitamin C (C vs. P: p = 0.007 *; COL vs. POL: p = 0.095; CWL vs. PWL p = 0.022 *), (c) Intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (C vs. P: p = 0.087; COL vs. POL: p = 0.385; CWL vs. PWL p = 0.113), (d) Intake of Docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) (C vs. P: p = 0.0033 *; COL vs. POL: p = 0.026 *; CWL vs. PWL p = 0.054).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Box whisker plot of Ascorbic acid (a), Docosapentaenoic (DPA), (b) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), (c). Logistic regression was applied including the matching parameters. Metabolites were log-transformed. Extreme outliers (3xIQR) are not shown in the figure but were included in the analysis. Numbers in brackets are group sizes. * denotes p-values < 0.05.
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