.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

UK Against Fluoridation

Friday, May 23, 2008

UK - Sugar in booze is rotten news for your teeth

Sugar in booze is rotten news for your teeth
Experts are warning that people are putting their teeth at risk because of the amount of sugar they consume through alcohol.
22 May 2008
By Tim Booler
Boozers on Wearside down up to half a tonne of sugar in a lifetime through alcohol, a survey has revealed.
Health chiefs have regularly warned about the effects of drinking too much beer, wine and spirits, which increases people's chances of developing serious liver and heart disease.

Now dentists have joined the throng, highlighting the effect of sugar consumption through alcohol on teeth.

Sunderland, seemingly, has the most to fear, being recently ranked second in the country's booze league.

A new national poll has confirmed the problem, showing that the North East consumes more sugar through alcohol than any other UK region.

The survey of 3,500 people, conducted by Philips Hydroclean, found that people from the region down an average of 6.37 units of alcohol per week.

With 15g of sugar in every unit, it adds up to a staggering 387kg in a lifetime through alcohol alone.

In contrast, the Welsh consume an average of 274kg through booze.

However, the problem could be even worse, as another study found Wearside men down about of 21.4 units a week, which amounts to 1.3 tonnes of sugar.

Dentist Dr Henriette William warned: "Although sugar is not the only factor that plays a role in the development of oral disease, the control of intake is essential in preventing oral diseases such as tooth decay.

"If the intake of sugar is at the levels suggested in this report, then regular and effective removal of plaque is essential."

As a result of poor oral care, one fifth of respondents to the Philips survey said they had suffered from inflamed gums and tooth loss, with half admitting to toothache.

As well as older boozers, Sunderland children also have bad teeth problems.

Surveys have shown that by the age of six, more than half of children in the city have decayed, missing or filled teeth – prompting renewed calls for the fluoridation of water supplies to the city.

Experts believe sugar should form no more than 10 per cent of a person's daily intake, and people should eat only 10 teaspoons, or 40g, a day.

But hidden sugars in canned or processed foods, sausages, cereal bars, smoothies, pies and pasties mean people are often unaware of the quantity of sugar in their diet.

Vivienne Palmer, from Philips, said: ''We are all more aware of which foods are good for us and how to lead a healthier lifestyle these days, but we seem to take our teeth for granted.

"They need as much care as any other part of the body, so we wanted to find out more about people's tooth care regimes and knowledge of sugary products so we can make it easy for anyone, young or old, to keep their teeth and gums in tip-top condition."

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home