Written By: Muskan Gupta | Published : June 14, 2026 3:41 PM IST
Gum disease (Image AI Generated)
Fasting may have a more comprehensive benefit than just those of weight loss and overall health: Now new research indicates that fasts can also help lower inflammation that is a part of gum disease. A study while fasting-mimicking diet could offer aid to signs related to periodontitis, a severe periodontal illness affecting millions of people around the globe.
The results are from a study that appeared in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology titled "A Fasting-Mimicking Diet Affects the Inflammatory Response Following Periodontal Treatment: A Multi-centre Feasibility Randomised Controlled Pilot Trial."
Severe gum disease or periodontitis is an infection that affects the gum tissue and bone supporting the teeth. If left undiagnosed, it can be a cause for tooth loss. Earlier studies have shown a association between gum disease and other health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.
The standard treatment for gum disease is professional cleanings and plaque control. But researchers are now looking at the possibility that nutrition changes may improve treatment outcomes.
The King's College London scientists pooled 28 patients with gum disease from hospitals in Spain for their study. There were two groups in this study. The group that would fast received a diet similar to what they would have on a fast day and the other group ate as normal.
The fasting patients' calorie intake was approximately 1,100 calories a day for two days, then 750 calories a day for three days. The eating pattern was repeated 3 times during a 6 months period. Samples were then taken from blood and gums to check levels of inflammation.
Six months after starting the eating fast, gum tissue markers of inflammation were lower in the participants who had been fasting-mimicking diet than in the people who had just had their normal diet. A common blood marker for inflammation (C-reactive protein or CRP) was also reduced in these patients.
The researchers discovered that molecules which are specifically associated to gum inflammation were also reduced in the fasting group. Based on these results, dietary interventions might be used to complement the conventional treatment in a gum disease.
The researchers say that fasting could actually reduce oxidative stress, a contributing factor to inflammation in the body. Limiting consumption of food products with a high calorie content and refined carbohydrates could also help reduce inflammatory response. Moreover, the act of fasting may also have an effect on the oral microbiome the community of bacteria colonizing the mouth which has yet to be established in further research.
That's encouraging but the study was small and pilot-scale, the researchers stress. Fasting-mimicking diets should be further studied before they can be recommended to be a part of routine treatment of gum disease. They also point out that the practice of fasting may not be appropriate for everyone, especially those with some medical conditions like diabetes.
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