With everything in the news about soda in schools, I'm sure that you know that soda is bad for your teeth and waist-line. However, did you know that sports drinks are more damaging to your teeth than soft drinks? According to a study published in General Dentistry, sports drinks, bottled lemonade, canned ice tea, and energy drinks are 11 times more decay producing than colas. The reason for this surprise is that in addition to the sugar and acids in cola, these other drinks have flavor additives like malic acid that are more aggressive at eroding the enamel of teeth.
According to Anthony Fraunhofer, PhD, the author of the study, drinking sodas and other sugary drinks "at meal times is less injurious than when consumed alone and continuous sipping is more harmful than the whole drink taken at one time." A long sugar and acid challenge is more tooth decay producing than a short one.
Do your teeth care what you eat? The answer is a definite, "Yes!" At Adult Dentistry of Rochester, we believe that good nutrition leads to healthy teeth. Visit http://www.dulski.com/eat.html to learn more healthful tips from Dr. Dulski.
Tags: Tooth Decay, Gum Disease
"Energy Drinks" such as Red Bull are an off-shoot of soda. The beverage is often loaded with caffeine, sugar and herbal stimulants which may pose various health risks, including:
ReplyDeleteThe caffeine in "energy drinks" can make you irritable, restless and nervous. Excessive caffeine is also associated with headaches, tremors, nausea and insomnia.
The caffeine in your "energy drink" can increase your blood pressure and make your heart beat faster. In some cases, this can trigger potentially dangerous changes in heart rhythm. Mixing energy drinks and alcohol compounds the effect, since alcohol also makes your heart beat faster.
Some studies are suggesting that the caffeine in energy drinks may increase the risk of dehydration during exercise, but results are mixed. Other studies don't associate caffeine with dehydration.
The sugar in most energy drinks can contribute to weight gain, especially in those who don't exercise regularly and those who struggle with their weight.
In addition, "energy drinks" have been associated with manic episodes, seizures, chest pain, heart attacks and sudden cardiac death.
So what does this all mean?
PLAIN WATER IS BEST. If you must supplement, sip "sports drinks". These are typically made of water and carbohydrates & may boost your endurance if your workouts last 60 minutes or longer.
Leave "energy drinks" at the store.
A special thinks to Dr. E Laskowski of the Mayo Clinic
I always recommend if you are going to drink colas, energy drinks you must brush, floss and rinse twice a day. But because of the high sugar and acids in those drinks it might not be good enough therefore consume less or better yet switch to water.
ReplyDeleteNot only leave energy drinks alone but sport drinks too.
ReplyDeleteYou should only use sport drink like original gatorade when you are exercising. Because this is not good for every day drinking.
So make sure you are looking at your labels to see how much sugar is in each drink, and again plain water is the best for you.
Soft drinks, especially light-colored drinks, and canned iced tea appear to "aggressively" harm teeth, new research shows.
ReplyDeleteThe list includes many different sodas -- Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Canada Dry ginger ale -- and canned iced tea, specifically Arizona Iced Tea, all eroded tooth enamel in laboratory studies. In addition, both diet and regular versions had the same bad effect on tooth enamel, according to researcher J. Anthony von Fraunhofer, MSc, PhD, with the University of Maryland Baltimore Dental School.
Non-cola drinks, such as ginger ale, Mountain Dew, and Sprite were particularly harmful to tooth enamel. Brewed black tea, root beer, coffee, and water had a minimal effect, he writes in his report. It appears in the new issue of General Dentistry.
Other studies have pointed to soft drinks as being responsible for children's tooth decay and obesity problems. It is a huge problem, since it has been reported that the average person in the U.S. drinks about 16 ounces of soft drinks daily -- that's about 53 gallons a year, writes von Fraunhofer.
While sugar in soft drinks is at least partially to blame for tooth decay, other factors are also at work, he writes. The acidity from certain drinks also plays a role. If mouth acidity increases -- and if it happens often enough -- the chemical reaction hurts teeth to a greater extent. Over time the result is tooth decay, he explains.
In this pilot study, von Fraunhofer examines the effects that various carbonated soft drinks -- both regular and diet versions -- on tooth enamel.
He exposed 20 healthy teeth (all extracted for orthodontic or periodontic reasons) to various soft drinks including canned iced tea for 14 days.
The result: Soft drinks like Sprite, Mountain Dew, and Arizona Iced Tea were especially harmful to tooth enamel, reports von Fraunhofer. Tap water, root beer, brewed black tea, and black coffee all showed minimal enamel damage.
Specifically:
* Non-cola soft drinks caused two to five times the damage as darker drinks, such as Coke, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper.
* Canned iced tea caused 30 times the enamel damage as brewed tea or coffee.
* Non-cola drinks cause up to 180 times more tooth enamel damage than did water.
* Root beer was the safest soft drink tested.
Non-cola drinks contain flavor additives that are "far more aggressive" at eroding teeth, compared with regular cola soft drinks such as Coke and Pepsi, he writes.
The best defense against tooth decay is drinking fewer soft drinks. Also, allowing more time between soft drinks, rinsing your mouth with water after drinking, or brushing your teeth will also help.
SOURCE: von Fraunhofer, J. General Dentistry, July/August 2004.
I was very lucky growing up. I never liked soda, but as a hygienist. I can almost immediately tell who does. Not only is the soda like candy in terms of sugar content., but it is also very acidic. This duo of sugar and acid really do extensive damage to the teeth. The acids weakening the enamel and the simple sugars giving bacteria a food source to grow and cause decay. To add onto the issue, most people dont make quick work of drinking a can. They nurse it or drink can after can of soda. This baths the teeth in sugar and acid for hours on end. In some cases even cause pre existing fillings to decay and break down. So, soda should be avoided if possible. If it is one of your few vices in life then switch to sugar free and if you have one, enjoy it quickly and either rinse or drink water immediately after.
ReplyDeleteSince I fought out that I had three cavities, I stopped drinking soft drinks.
ReplyDeleteWritten by E.G.