{"id":8238,"date":"2023-10-19T19:23:40","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T12:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=8238"},"modified":"2023-10-19T19:23:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T12:23:40","slug":"can-we-stop-tooth-decay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=8238","title":{"rendered":"Can We Stop Tooth Decay?\u00a0"},"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=\"auto\">If sugar consumption is considered to be the one and only cause of cavities, can we have any sugar? How much is too much?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Dental cavities may <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/23720570\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">be<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> humanity\u2019s most prevalent disease, affecting 35 percent of the global population. The average number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth has been <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/26610819\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">estimated<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> at more than two by the age of 12. In the United States, the oral health of our elderly may also be in a state of decay, with one in four missing all of their teeth. \u201cIn terms of economic costs,\u201d it is estimated that $100 billion is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28489474\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">spent<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> on dental diseases due to sugar consumption.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As I discuss in my video <\/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\">, sugar consumption is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/26261186\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">considered<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to be the one and only cause of cavities. It is often referred to as a multifactorial condition, with other factors including bacteria, plaque, saliva, brushing, and flossing. However, those factors appear to have only mitigating influences. All of those other factors simply modify the speed by which sugar causes cavities. \u201cWithout sugars, the chain of causation is broken, so the disease does not occur.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cNumerous studies from decades ago <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24892213\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">showed<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> that in countries where sugar consumption was very low, dental caries [cavities] was almost non-existent,\u201d and \u201cnew analyses <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25228012\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">show<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> that the life-long burden of caries increases as sugar intakes increase from 0%E [zero]\u2026The most comprehensive national data are from\u2026Japan\u2026before, during and after World War II,\u201d where the incidence of cavities tracked per capita sugar intake as it dropped from about 8 percent of calories down to just 0.1 percent, which is less than a teaspoon a week, before rebounding up to about 14 percent. Such studies show that cavities <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24892213\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">continued<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to occur even when sugar intake comprised only 2 to 3 percent of caloric intake. Given that more extensive disease in adults doesn\u2019t appear to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25228012\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">manifest<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> if sugar intakes are limited to less than 3 percent of caloric intake, a public health goal to limit sugar intake to below 3 percent has been recommended. This led to the suggestion that traffic-light food labels be used to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25227396\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">mark<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> anything above 2.5 percent added sugars as \u201chigh.\u201d That would make even comparatively low-sugar breakfast cereals such as Cheerios \u201cred-light\u201d foods.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The recommended 3 percent cap on total daily intake of added sugars wouldn\u2019t even <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cerealfacts.org\/media\/cereal_facts_report_2012_7.12.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">allow<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for young children to have a single average serving of any of the top ten breakfast cereals most heavily advertised to them, which you can see below and at 2:21 in my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/how-to-stop-tooth-decay\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">video<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Obviously, soda <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cerealfacts.org\/media\/cereal_facts_report_2012_7.12.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">is<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> off the table. One can of soda has nearly two days\u2019 worth of added sugar.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-97134\" src=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-22.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-22.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-22-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-22-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-22-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-22-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-22-480x270.jpg 480w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-22-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-22-720x405.jpg 720w, https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/10\/2-22-540x304.jpg 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"\/><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29179323\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">adopted<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the more pragmatic goal of recommending sugar intake stay below 5 percent for children and adolescents, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789241549028\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">matching<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the World Health Organization\u2019s conditional recommendations for both children and adults. That\u2019s about where added sugar consumption <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/15005469\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">dropped<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in Iraq when they were under sanctions, and cavity rates were cut in half within just a few years. Of course, the sanctions may have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/311\/7019\/1523.1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">cut<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> other things, too, like the lifespan of children, though that was apparently fake news\u2014a consequence of the \u201cgovernment of Iraq cleverly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29225933\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">manipulating<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0survey data to fool the international community<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If we were really interested in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25228012\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">minimizing<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> disease, the ideal goal would be to drop the intake of free sugars (meaning added sugars) to zero. These are not the sugars naturally found in breast milk or the intrinsic sugars in fruits. When it comes to the intake of <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">added<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> sugars, there does not <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24892213\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">seem<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to be a \u201cthreshold for sugars below which there are no adverse effects.\u201d An exponential increase in cavity rates can begin for sugar intakes starting as low as 1 percent.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A Kellogg\u2019s-funded researcher <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/10948390\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">agreed<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> that we might be able to get rid of cavities if there was no sugar in the diet, but suggested that \u201cthis ideal is impractical.\u201d The \u201cdictatorial use of foods \u2018friendly to the teeth\u2019\u2026might <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/chapter\/10.1007\/978-1-4471-1652-3_4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">promote<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> a philosophy of dietary celibacy\u2026[that] would not be applicable or acceptable to all individuals.\u201d <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cInstead of recommending draconian reductions in the amount of sugars intake,\u201d the sugar industry <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24595636\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">responded<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> that \u201cattention would be better focused on\u2026fluoride toothpaste.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">That\u2019s the perfect metaphor for medicine\u2019s approach to lifestyle diseases in general. Why treat the cause when you can just treat the consequences? Why eat more healthfully to prevent and treat heart disease when we have all of these statins and stents?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Not all sugars are created equal. To explore this topic, see my videos<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-if-fructose-is-bad-what-about-fruit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Flashback Friday: If Fructose Is Bad, What About Fruit?<\/strong><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-how-much-fruit-is-too-much\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flashback Friday <\/a><\/strong><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/flashback-friday-how-much-fruit-is-too-much\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>How Much Fruit Is Too Much?<\/strong><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To gain a sense of how powerful the sugar industry is, check out my video <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nutritionfacts.org\/video\/big-sugar-takes-on-the-world-health-organization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Big Sugar Takes on the World Health Organization<\/a><\/strong><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For more on dental and oral health, see the related videos below.<\/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>If sugar consumption is considered to be the one and only cause of cavities, can we have any sugar? How much is too much?\u00a0 Dental cavities may be humanity\u2019s most prevalent disease, affecting 35 percent of the global population. The average number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth has been estimated at more than two &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8238","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\/8238","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=8238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8238\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}