{"id":4377,"date":"2023-06-01T21:23:29","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T14:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/breakfast-cereals-and-tooth-decay\/"},"modified":"2023-06-01T21:23:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T14:23:29","slug":"breakfast-cereals-and-tooth-decay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=4377","title":{"rendered":"Breakfast Cereals and Tooth Decay"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Which foods have the greatest cavity-causing potential?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nearly half a century ago at a Senate hearing on nutrition, a Dr. Nizel from Tufts <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/files.eric.ed.gov\/fulltext\/ED079441.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">suggested<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> that sugary breakfast cereals \u201cshould be banned in the best interest for all concerned, particularly children,\u201d perhaps not surprisingly, since he was a professor of dental medicine.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As I discuss in my video<a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-the-worst-food-for-tooth-decay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <strong>Flashback Friday: The Worst Food for Tooth Decay<\/strong><\/a><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a dozen different foods and beverages were tested in a study and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.karger.com\/Article\/Abstract\/408732\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">ranked<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for their \u201ccariogenic potential\u201d\u2014their cavity-causing potential\u2014by implanting electrodes in the mouths of study participants to measure the amount of acid produced in the plaque between their teeth after eating a variety of different foods. The two breakfast cereals tested topped the charts, as you can see in the graph below and at 0:42 in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/the-worst-food-for-tooth-decay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">video<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-93272\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0-42.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0-42.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0-42-960x525.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0-42-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0-42-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0-42-1536x840.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0-42-1200x656.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0-42-720x394.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0-42-540x295.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.karger.com\/Article\/Abstract\/408732\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">drink<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> sugar water, the pH on your teeth plunges within minutes into the acidic danger zone and stays there for an hour, eating away at your teeth. Caramel is worse. It sticks to your teeth, so it stays longer, and your pH goes down even deeper into the acid zone. However, with the two breakfast cereals (corn flake and wheat flake), it went down and stayed down even two hours later.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We\u2019ve <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/3868764\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">known<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> about the cavity-causing potential of presweetened breakfast cereals for decades. As you can see below and at 1:16 in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/the-worst-food-for-tooth-decay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">video<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a dozen such cereals\u2014Cookie Crisp, Cocoa Krispies, Froot Loops, Sugar Corn Pops, Sugar Frosted Flakes, Cap\u2019n Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Powdered Donutz, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Grape-Nuts, Rice Krispies, and Cheerios\u2014were put to the test to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/3868764\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">measure<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the level of tooth-dissolving acid produced by the strain of bacteria that causes cavities. As one might expect, the cavity-generating potential was \u201cfound to be related directly to the sugar content of each cereal,\u201d though Frosted Mini-Wheats was an exception. Despite having 40 percent less sugar than cereals like Froot Loops or Frosted Flakes, Frosted Mini-Wheats caused the greatest calcium demineralization, ranking second only to the now defunct \u201cPowdered Donutz\u201d in cavity-causing potential. A study of 28 different cereals <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/6944319\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">concluded<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, \u201cUnquestionably, the sugar concentrations in these twenty-eight cereals are sufficiently high to qualify them as dentally dangerous from that aspect.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-93274\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1-16.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1-16.png 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1-16-960x525.png 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1-16-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1-16-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1-16-1536x840.png 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1-16-1200x656.png 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1-16-720x394.png 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/06\/1-16-540x295.png 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Wanting to be good corporate citizens, General Mills took its Super Sugar Crisp, which was 44 percent sugar, and reduced the sugar\u2014well, it reduced the <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">font size <\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">of the word \u201csugar\u201d on the product box<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Then, since it cares about children\u2019s health so much, it removed sugar altogether\u2014from the product name. Super Sugar Crisp was renamed Super Golden Crisp.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kellogg\u2019s cares, too. Though Sugar Smacks is where space energy comes from, at least according to a classic box of the product featuring an image of Spock from <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Star Trek<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, it doesn\u2019t sound as wholesome as Honey Smacks, which it was later renamed. Same cereal, healthier-sounding name. Kellogg\u2019s <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">did<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> remove sugar from Corn Pops and Frosted Flakes\u2014from the front of the boxes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">And Cookie Crisp? I think the fact that it\u2019s made by a dog food company, says it all.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But General Mills protests. A study it <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/4149028\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">did<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in which teens were randomized to either receive free cereal delivered to their homes or not found that those who got the cereal didn\u2019t seem to get any more cavities, supposedly proving that breakfast cereal is harmless for your teeth. Care to take a guess at the study\u2019s fatal flaw? The kids in the control group were free to just have their parents <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/4153747\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">buy<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> them sugary cereals from the store, so both the experimental group and the control group may have been eating the same cereal \u201cwith the only difference being that the experimental group received its cereal free and the control group children paid for their cereal.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What did the General Mills researchers have to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/4153747\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">say<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for themselves? \u201cDietary controls so rigid as to exclude the ingestion of cereals by children would be difficult, if not impossible, in a long-term study.\u201d Then that\u2019s not a control group!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This is similar to a certain Kellogg\u2019s-funded paper that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/10948390\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">maintained<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> if we didn\u2019t feed kids sugar, we could virtually eliminate cavities, but \u201cthis ideal is impractical.\u201d So, Kellogg\u2019s took the middle-ground and come up with Froot Loops with marshmallows. At least they\u2019re fruit-shaped or at least \u201cfruity shaped\u201d!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Observational studies have also failed to link breakfast cereal consumption with cavity prevalence or incidence, though. This is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/4149952\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">presumed<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to be because eating cereal with milk helps clear food particles from the mouth. Though Frosted Mini-Wheats <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/3868764\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">did<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> lead to the same sugar retention in the saliva ten minutes after intake with or without milk, the other cereals were cleared out faster. However, \u201csugared cereals are often <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/17787542\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">eaten<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> as snacks by kids without milk, which makes the sugar more likely to stick to the teeth\u2026\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ten minutes after the ingestion of dry sugary cereals, you\u2019re <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/6944319\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">left<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> with nearly 50 times the sugar residue in your mouth, compared to swishing down the sugar in liquid form. The researchers concluded that \u201cit is inconceivable to contest the fact that frequent between-meal ingestion of high-sugar, physically retentive products, cereal or otherwise, is dentally hazardous. Whether or not meal-time eating of sugared cereals induce caries [cavities] is not the point\u2026because considerable amounts of them are eaten between meals, they have a marked potential for dental danger.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-which-is-a-better-breakfast-cereal-or-oatmeal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flashback Friday: Which Is a Better Breakfast\u2014Cereal or Oatmeal? <\/a><\/strong><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW182341247 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW182341247 BCX0\">Stay tuned for the video coming out in a few weeks<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW182341247 BCX0\"> and, in the meantime,<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW182341247 BCX0\"> check out how to make <a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW171702373 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/a-better-breakfast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined MacChromeBold SCXW171702373 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW171702373 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">A Better Breakfast<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW171702373 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW171702373 BCX0\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Studies like the one from General Mills are the reason it\u2019s so important to look beyond the headlines and why I dedicate so much time to pointing out research flaws and red flags. The lesson is to always check the primary source\u2014or just let me do it for you!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Citrus can also have an acidifying effect on teeth, so always rinse after consuming it. See <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/plant-based-diets-dental-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Plant-Based Diets: Dental Health<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to learn more.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">When it comes to caring for your teeth,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/dont-use-antiseptic-mouthwash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Don\u2019t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Watch <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-whats-the-best-mouthwash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Flashback Friday: What\u2019s the Best Mouthwash?<\/strong><\/a> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">for a better option.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Find out <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/how-to-stop-tooth-decay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">How to Stop Tooth Decay<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"et_social_bottom_trigger\"\/>  <\/div>\n<p><script>\n            !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n            {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n                n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n            if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n            n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n            t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n            s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n                'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('init', '1582627921973608');\n            fbq('track', 'PageView');\n        <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Which foods have the greatest cavity-causing potential?\u00a0 Nearly half a century ago at a Senate hearing on nutrition, a Dr. Nizel from Tufts suggested that sugary breakfast cereals \u201cshould be banned in the best interest for all concerned, particularly children,\u201d perhaps not surprisingly, since he was a professor of dental medicine.\u00a0 As I discuss in &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}