SUGAR FREE OR DIET SODA LINKED TO HEART PROBLEMS – BLOG #70

SUGAR FREE OR DIET SODA LINKED TO HEART PROBLEMS – BLOG #70
Dr. Spiker Davis D.D.S.  713-781-2800    Dr. Matt Guerre D.D.S. 713-781-2800
In collaboration with Dr. John Seger M.D. Cardiologist 713-791-9444
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I believe the mouth is the WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH. I also believe that as individuals we need to take care of our health-nobody else is going to do it for us. F

or years my parents told me that we should drink diet soda because it had no sugar or calories. Personally, I hated the taste of any kind of diet drink, so I just tended to not drink any cola’s-Probably a good thing. According to the American College of Cardiology, a long-term study from 2009-2019 indicated that diet drinks are probably not worth the risk. The research is ongoing but a recent study from 2019 showed frequent consumption of artificially sweetened beverages had an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and early death in women.

It appears that there is some debate on whether it is the artificial sweetener or just the amount of consumption of the cola that is causing the problem. In either case, the American College of Cardiology is basically saying that the risk of health issues is not worth it so please eliminate the DIET colas from your diet.

I have had several patients in the last few years that started having weird health concerns and they went to their doctor and found nothing wrong. However, the conditions got worse (mainly reflux and stomach pain or intestinal issues) and finally they did a diet study and determined that they were consuming way too much diet food including diet colas and foods containing artificial sweeteners.

The sad part is that most of us have been told to cut back or avoid SUGAR as it is bad for our health and then we switch to something with artificial sweeteners and now that’s also a risk. It seems to me that just about anything that is sweet is going to be a problem of some kind. It either causes us to gain weight, get cavities or gum disease and now it’s going to affect our heart health.

As a dentist, I have always tried to not eat sugar. As we all know, that is easier said than done, but I’m of the opinion that sugar is more addictive than Cocaine. It is so hard to quit. So, I think we should try to never give our children sugary foods as that starts the addiction and then when they are older it is so hard to quit. That is one reason that I like the PALEO DIET SO MUCH-IT BASICALLY SAYS-NO SUGAR OF ANY KIND.

Recent reports from the CDC indicate that Tooth Decay and Obesity have both become a public health crisis. About 93% of Americans have had a cavity and almost 45% of adults are either overweight or Obese. The interesting part to me is that the cause of both conditions is the same. And guess what that is. EATING AND DRINKING WAY TOO MUCH SUGAR. How much is too much? In 1950 the average American consumed about 2 pounds of sugar per year. In 2020 the AVERAGE AMERICAN NOW CONSUMES ALMOST 200 POUNDS PER YEAR! THAT IS RIGHT AT 4 POUNDS PER WEEK! That is an incredibly unbelievably large amount of a substance that is horribly bad for you.

Sugar is now linked to many unhealthy conditions including but not limited to!

1. Decay and gum disease-ask any dentist on the planet and they will tell you that sugar is the cause of most dental issues.
2. Heart disease-many studies link sugar intake to all kinds of heart conditions
3. Stroke-high sugar consumption is also linked here.
4. Cancer-M.D. Cancer Center has done several studies that indicate that sugar feeds cancer. They even suggest that all of their patients with cancer have a very low-sugar diet.
5. Diabetes-many doctors believe that type 2 diabetes may be caused by high sugar intake and of course, type 1 diabetics are not supposed to eat sugar.
6. Insulin resistance-sugar is a big factor here
7. Alzheimer’s disease-recent studies say there is a link between dementia and sugar
8. High Blood pressure-in our practice most people with low blood pressure seldom consume sugar
9.  Obesity-sugar is just empty calories, and many people eat enough sugar to lead to obesity
10. Acne-my doctor told me when I was a teenager that if I didn’t eat sugar, I would not have acne. I think still holds true today

SUMMARY-It is obvious that your mouth is the window to your health. In my opinion, SUGAR AND SUGAR DRINKS ARE CAUSING LOTS OF HEALTH PROBLEMS BUT ESPECIALLY CAVITIES, GUM DISEASE, AND HEART DISEASE! NOW WE FIND OUT THAT DRINKS WITH NO SUGAR-artificial sweeteners instead, can be just as bad if not worse than the real thing. It’s never too late- Practice good oral hygiene, avoid sugar, avoid diet drinks and Go see your dentist and get back on track with regular cleanings. Follow that up by seeing your physician for a physical. Pay SPECIAL ATTENTION TO YOUR DIET AND YOUR ORAL HYGIENE! PLEASE ELIMINATE SUGAR AND DIET DRINKS!

“THE MOUTH IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH”. BRUSH AND FLOSS TWICE DAILY, AVOID SUGAR FOR 2022 AND SEE YOUR DENTIST AND PHYSICIAN REGULARLY.

Spiker Davis D.D.S. spiker@thepaleodentist.com John Seger M.D. Matt Guerre D.D.S.
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