Triangle Pediatric Dentistry

This blog is intended to educate and make readers a little more informed about topics related to pediatric dentistry. All of the information contained here should be considered to be my opinion only and you may find others that have opinions that differ from mine. I will discuss topics in broad terms and the information should not be taken as a diagnosis or treatment recommendation for any condition that your child may have. If you have a specific question about a dental condition that your child may have then you should discuss it directly during an office visit with a pediatric dentist. -Dr. Buddy

So how much sugar is too much?

May 03 2010

Sugar is one of a dentist’s biggest enemies as it is used as the primary energy source by the bacteria in the mouth that cause cavities on your teeth (read more about how cavities form here). If your dentist preaching about the harmful effects of sugar on your teeth isn’t enough to scare you then we’ll just have to pull out the big guns and refer you to some of the latest information from the American Heart Association (AHA). Over the past 30 years there has been a huge worldwide increase in the amount of obesity and cardiovascular disease. This has prompted the AHA to release several statements regarding sugar consumption over the last few years with its most recent statement coming in 2009. Along with causing cavities a high intake of sugar has been shown to increase obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Now that should definitely get everyone’s attention!

Sugar is naturally occurring in many foods but is added to many other foods during processing, preparation or at the table. Sugar doesn’t have any nutritional value aside from providing calories and it can displace more nutritious foods and beverages in a person’s diet. Calories from sugar are considered discretionary calories which are calories that are left over after someone meets their nutritional requirements (since sugar doesn’t have any nutritional value then all calories from sugar are considered discretionary calories). Over the last 30 years the total amount of calories people consume has increased by around 300 calories a day and about half of this is from liquid discretionary calories (sugar in drinks).

So how much is too much sugar? The AHA recommends that only about half of a person’s discretionary calorie intake should come from added sugars. For a person that is not exercising much this would be about 36 grams (9 tsps) for men, 20 grams (5 tsp) for women and an estimate of only about 12 grams (3 tsps) for children a day. People that are more active have higher caloric intake and can have a little more than these amounts. As a point of reference, most 12 oz soft drinks (soda, pop) have at least 36 grams (9tsp) of sugar which is the entire suggested amount of sugar for a non-active grown man and more than the suggested amount for non-active women or children for a day.

As you can see, sugar does a lot more than just cause cavities. So next time your dentist tells you to cut back on sugar just remember that your dentist is not only saving your pearly whites but making you healthier and in better shape!

For a link to the AHA statement regarding sugar consumption click the link below. http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192627

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