Sports drinks may lead to tooth decay, study shows
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Several popular sports drinks were shown to wear away at teeth in a recent study. Researchers soaked tooth enamel in four popular brands for intervals of at least 24 hours over 14 days. And, in all cases, the drinks caused the enamel to wear away significantly. The scientists are reluctant to draw sweeping conclusions from their study however; they admit the experiment did not represent realistic use of the drinks.
Endurance athletes count on electrolyte-rich sports drinks to get them through hours of training for the next triathlon or marathon.
Research has shown that some of these drinks contain the right balance of nutrients and minerals to keep the energy level from flagging.
But a new study published in the January/February issue of General Dentistry shows that sipping certain sports drinks over long periods can wear down tooth enamel.
Researchers led by J. Anthony von Fraunhofer, professor of biomaterials science, used cavity-free teeth that were extracted for orthodontic or periodontal reasons.
The teeth were sterilized, then enamel walls were cut into blocks.
These blocks were soaked in screw-cap plastic containers filled with one of several beverages, including sports drinks, soda, energy drinks, iced tea and other sweetened drinks.
The sports drinks chosen were AMP energy drink, Gatorade lemon-lime, KMX energy drink and Powerade Arctic Shatter.
Von Fraunhofer said additives and organic acids are to blame.
The researchers say that their study may be criticized for the long exposure time and small sample size.
And in reality, athletes will sip drinks for several hours, but not for 14 straight days.
In between training sessions, they drink water and brush their teeth, so it’s reasonable to suggest that those two practices may mitigate enamel damage.
Bruce DeGinder, president-elect and spokesman for the Academy of General Dentistry, issued this statement regarding the study: “We recommend altering or limiting the intake of soda and sports drinks and choosing water or low-fat milk instead, to preserve tooth enamel and ultimately protect teeth from decay.”
Alternate with sips of water to wash down some of the caustic acids.
And don’t rush to brush your teeth right after a consuming a bottle or two of sports drinks, because that would exacerbate enamel damage.
