Dentists are often talking about the amount of sugar that should be consumed in your diet, let’s look at what the main reason for this is. The ancient Greeks originally noticed that when people ate lots of sugary food their teeth began to decay, at first they thought it was the sugar itself that was causing the problems, but we now know that it is actually the bacteria which feed on the sugar which is harmful.
The bacteria in your mouth are known as Streptococcus and it is these bacteria which causes the problems for teeth, as the bacteria feeds on sugar it secretes an acid and it is this acid which has a detrimental affect on the enamel of your teeth. The enamel is the hard outer layer of your tooth, which protects the softer dentine and pulp which is inside. The bacteria can be found lurking in the plaque, which has a tendency to collect in between your teeth and around the delicate gum margins, this is why your dentist will always be telling you that it is important to keep the plaque buildup to an absolute minimum by regular brushing, flossing and using a fluoride mouthwash. Less plaque means less places for the bacteria to hide.
So, back to our original question about how much sugar you should eat…
In a recent systematic review which informed WHO guidelines, The Journal of Dental Research talked about the effects of restricting sugar intakes in various age groups. The research looked at % of sugar in a daily diet and its relationship to the onset of decay. The problem has been that the research has been interpreted misguidedly.
Various newspapers have unfortunately taken the step of converting this % of sugar into a spoonful amount, probably to make it easier for the general public to work out how much sugar they should be having. These Papers have converted this into between 5 and 7 teaspoons per day. Unfortunately doing this leads people to assume that they can have 5 or 7 teaspoons per day on their cereal, coffee , tea or anywhere else they add sugar.
The biggest problem is they forget that most of the sugar we eat daily is hidden within foods, not added by us afterwards. If we only count the spoonfuls of sugar we add to our food then we will be dramatically exceeding the recommended amounts!
The research reported the following results in their abstract:
So it seems that the research is suggesting if we keep our sugar intake below 10% of calorie intake then there is ‘moderate quality’ evidence to show a lower risk of dental decay… So perhaps we should start doing that!
We thought we’d give a rough guide to the amount of sugar contained within various food stuffs so that you can be sure to keep your intake ideally less than 10%.
Statistics taken from Sugar Stacks – They have included all forms of sugar in these statistics and have simply turned it into a ‘spoonfuls’ amount to make it easier to understand.
Research over the years has clearly shown that Eating too much sugar will directly impact oral health, the only question lies around exactly how much is too much. The new research seems to suggest that when we keep sugar intake below 10% (Or around 5 to 7 spoonfuls of all sugar intake per day) there is moderate quality evidence showing a lower risk of dental decay, and that can only be good.
Our advice therefore is to look at the quantity of sugar in the food that you eat, remember that sugar can be from many sources and it’s not just the sugar which we add to food that counts.
So how much sugar do you eat per day? Let us know in the comments section below this blog post, and then tell us what you’re going to do to cut down…
Time Dental is a local dental practice in Farnham, Surrey offering a range of cosmetic and dental health solutions to help you keep your teeth healthy and looking great for life.
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by Dental DesignSite last updated: September 2024
