FRIDAY, Jan. 16, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Low dietary lycopene intake is associated with an increased risk for severe periodontitis, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.
Katherine Kwong, Ph.D., from Connecticut College in New London, and colleagues investigated the association between insufficient lycopene intake and the risk for periodontitis among older adults. The analysis included 1,227 adults (aged 65 to 79 years) participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2009 to 2014).
The researchers found that overall, 48.7 percent of the older adults showed varying degrees of periodontitis and 49.1 percent had insufficient dietary lycopene intake. There was an association between adequate lycopene intake and a reduced likelihood of severe periodontitis (odds ratio [OR], 0.33). Black older adults were more prone to developing severe periodontitis than White older adults (OR, 2.82). Women showed a lower likelihood of severe periodontitis than men (OR, 0.27), with the trend showing similar when limited to older White women versus older White men (OR, 0.26).
"Our results suggest that future periodontitis prevention strategies should consider targeted, race- and sex-specific dietary interventions," the authors write.