Cavities
Our ancestors who lived more than 10,000 years before the toothbrush was invented had almost no cavities. Why? Because candy bars hadn’t been invented yet, either. Now, dental cavities may be humanity’s most prevalent disease, and sugar consumption is considered to be the one and only cause.
The recommended 3 percent cap on total daily intake of added sugars wouldn’t even allow for a single average serving for young children of any of the top ten breakfast cereals most heavily advertised to them. Obviously, soda is off the table. One can would be nearly two days’ worth of sugar.
The official position of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry was that frequent consumption of sugary drinks can be a significant factor in the initiation and progression of dental cavities—that is, it was the official position before it accepted a million-dollar grant from Coca-Cola. After the grant, its tune changed to “Scientific evidence is certainly not clear on the exact role that soft drinks play….”
If we were really interested in minimizing disease, the ideal goal would be to drop the intake of added sugars to zero, which may be able to get rid of cavities.
The information on this page has been compiled from Dr. Greger’s research. Sources for each video listed can be found by going to the video’s page and clicking on the Sources Cited tab. References may also be found at the back of his books.
Image Credit: Image by Bruno Pereira from Pixabay. This image has been modified.
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Dried fruit has long been thought to contribute to tooth decay, but what does the science say?
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Based on the potential benefits of proper hydration such as reduced bladder cancer risk, how many cups of water should we strive to drink every day?
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