Soda Pop, Tooth Decay and Obesity

Over the years we have seen many patients with rampant tooth decay due to excessive intake of soda pop. Fortunately we have also seen remarkable returns to little or no decay following cessation of the soda habit. The soda has a negative impact on the health of tooth structure in two ways:

• The high sugar content gives the bacteria in the oral cavity abundant material to consume, leading to destruction of the teeth.
• The soda is also acidic in nature which can add to the damage the bacteria are already doing. In fact, if you allow teeth to soak in popular soft drinks they will actually dissolve!

According to Dr. David L, Phillips, over consumption of soda pop is a major cause of obesity in the United States. Soft drinks, it turns out, are the biggest source of added sugar in the average person's daily diet. Recent studies show the average American drank 585 12-oz. servings of soft drinks per year. This is 1.6 cans a day for every man, woman and child in the US.

At an average consumption rate of 1.6 cans of pop a day, Americans are getting seven teaspoons of sugar added to their diet. Worse yet, the consumption of soft drinks is expanding rapidly: it has doubled in the past twenty years.

Dr. Phillips study theorizes that people do not consider calories in beverages as significant and that perhaps the act of chewing satiates the appetite center of the brain. The act of drinking does not seem to have this effect. Consequently, when one consumes high caloric beverages, there is a real danger of weight gain.

A word to the wise: The only beverage you should be drinking like water IS water!

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