A recent study published by in the British Dental Journal has just sounded an alarm on the popular use of energy drinks, energy bars and energy gels that is the mainstay of professional athletes and ardent gym goers.
These energy boosting products don't really seem to be helping one's oral health. Surprise, surprise...(sic)!
University College London Scientists interviewed 352 British athletes, including those who were preparing to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil then.
Elite athletes from 11 sports, including cycling, swimming, rowing, hockey, sailing, athletics, rugby and football were interviewed. The results showed that:
But still? Elite athletes have bad teeth despite putting more effort into looking after them than other people!
These energy boosting products don't really seem to be helping one's oral health. Surprise, surprise...(sic)!
University College London Scientists interviewed 352 British athletes, including those who were preparing to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil then.
Elite athletes from 11 sports, including cycling, swimming, rowing, hockey, sailing, athletics, rugby and football were interviewed. The results showed that:
- 94% of athletes brushed their teeth twice a day compared with 75% of the general public
- 44% flossed regularly compared with 21% of the public
- Smoking rates and overall diets were also much better in the elite athletes.
But still? Elite athletes have bad teeth despite putting more effort into looking after them than other people!
The study showed that these athletes who are quite disciplined (more than many of us unfortunately) do take their overall health seriously and were far more likely to brush twice a day and floss between their teeth. But given their high intake of energy boosting products, they still struggled with their oral health. And this result is similar to other previous studies which showed that athletes from footballers to London 2012 competitors have problems with their oral health.
Around half of elite athletes in the UK have signs of tooth decay compared with around a third of similarly aged adults.
The latest study, published in the British Dental Journal, attempted to explore why. "These athletes use sports drinks, energy gels and bars frequently during training and competition," said Dr Julie Gallagher, one of the UCL researchers. She added: "The sugar in these products increases the risk of tooth decay and the acidity of them increases the risk of erosion.
"This could be contributing to the high levels of tooth decay and acid erosion we saw during the dental check-ups."
- 87% used sports drinks
- 59% used energy bars
- 70% used energy gels
So before you reach for that energy drink thinking brushing later in the day will certainly remove all the effects of the drink - take time to pause and think again. How good is your oral health? How much do you like to take energy drinks and energy bars when you are exercising?
Comments
Post a Comment