#2 SUGAR – IT’S WORSE THAN YOU THINK

Since the Mouth is the Window to your Health let’s discuss one of the main dietetic causes of Decay and Gum disease.  Everyone knows that SUGAR is bad for your teeth but most people don’t really associate SUGAR to body health.  The good news is that if you want to stop decay and gum disease, eliminating SUGAR will have a huge impact.  Better than that is that as you will be improving oral health it will also have a major impact on systemic health as well!  So let’s look at all the alarming statistics that involve sugar and your health.

1. America is #2 in sugar consumption in the world. Guess who is #1?  If you know the answer please email me at spiker@thepaleodentist.com The average American consumes about 170 pounds of Sugar per year which is about 3-4 pounds per week.  That breaks down to 65 teaspoons per day!  Most people think that this is not possible but sugar is added to everything.  Even canned green peas and table salt have sugar in them.  The companies claim it is acting as a preservative.  That might be true but sugar is also very addictive and I believe they add it to everything so that you will buy more-that’s my opinion.
2. Sugar causes weight gain-rates of obesity are rising worldwide and sugar, especially from sugar sweetened beverages is thought to be the main cause. Did you know that just one cola has about 9-10 tablespoons of Sugar in it!  If you sip on colas that feeds the bacteria and they will release acid all day!
3. Sugar causes Wrinkles-Sugar, white bread and soda, trigger “a burst of inflammation throughout the body”, bring highly increased insulin levels. Inflammation here produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging skin and wrinkles.
4. High Sugar diets have been associated with an increased risk of Heart Disease, high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries. In fact approximately two colas per day increases your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 38%!
5. Research from Emory University found High Sugar intake increased the risk for higher Cholesterol!
6. Sugary drinks may weaken bones and put you at a higher risk for osteoporosis.
7. High Sugar diets are linked to insulin resistance and an increased risk for diabetes.
8. A study of 430,000 people found that high sugar consumption was associated with increased risk of several cancers such as throat cancer, cancer of the small intestine, colon and breast cancer.
9. A high sugar diet has been consistently linked to an increased risk of Fatty Liver disease.
10. Sugar can affect fertility and hormone imbalances.
11. Sugar is linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
12. Sugar can affect cognition in children as well as an increased risk for asthma or COPD.
13. There is evidence that sugar and processed food in childhood may be linked to IQ reduction.
14. Consuming to much sugar has also been linked to possible Dementia, kidney damage, cellular aging, depression, leaky gut, gout and acne.
15. DO WE NEED MORE SUGAR?

SUGAR comes in many forms and from many sources.  Read the label of everything you buy.  Many times the label does not say SUGAR but it will say Dextrose, Maltose, corn syrup etc.  Don’t forget that many fruits have sugar in them and it is usually called Fructose.  Almost anything that ends in OSE is a sugar.  It is really hard to eliminate Sugar completely because it is so hidden in everything.  This makes a good case for not buying anything in a package.  I have read reports that 80-90% of everything in a package or bottle has SUGAR in it!

SUMMARY-In my opinion, SUGAR is poison and you should eliminate it from your diet.  That will improve your dental health but it will also improve your systemic Health.  A Paleo diet can do that for you.                  

DON’T FEED THE BAD BUGS SUGAR, PROPERLY REMOVE ALL YOU CAN-FLOSS, BRUSH AND SEE YOUR DENTIST!