APOLLO DENTAL CARE

The Bitter Side Of Sweet.

Seventy fi ve percent of Americans consume added sugars above the World Health Organization’s recommended 10 percent limit . The term added sugar refers to sugars that are not naturally occurring in foods. Naturally occurring sugars include honey, sugar cane, sugar beets, fruit, and milk. In 1977 the fi rst Dietary Goals for Americans were issued by the U.S. Senate, which targeted dietary saturated fat as the primary reason for heart disease. In response the food industry reduced the fat content in processed food. To make the food taste better dietary sugar replaced the fat so by 2000 added sugar increased by 32 percent of total calories. This dietary paradigm continues to this day. More than fi fty per cent of all American adults consume more than 50 grams and U.S. adolescents average 94 grams of added sugars per day. As of July 2018, manufactures manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual food sales will be required to disclose added sugars content and what percent of the daily added sugars limit it represents on packaged food labels. This will give consumers to reconsider their food choices when they learn that a 20-ounce bottle of coke contains 65 grams of sugars or 130 per cent of the daily limit based on a 2000 calorie diet. Over the past 40 years coincident with this change in dietary pattern the diseases like obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease have increased in prevalence in addition a brandnew disease nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has become an epidemic within the pediatric age group. Lack of physical activity in children adds to this problem. This liver disease causes the liver to enlarge in about 25 per cent of these patients which can progress to liver cancer and 30 to 40 percent of these patients die within 10 years. This disease is projected to become the leading cause of liver transplantation in the U.S. by 2025. Reducing the consumption of sugary drinks is a key public health goal as sugary drinks are the largest source of added sugar in the American diet and is associated with a range of chronic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dental caries. Recent studies confi rm that consuming sugary drinks increases the risk of cavities in children. Dentists see the effects of sugary drink consumption every day. While added sugars in the diet may not be the sole cause of chronic disease it is the easiest to identify and modify our diet accordingly for a healthy life.

Apollo Dental Care is the dental offi ce of Dr. Sue Padavettan, D.D.S. Dr. Sue has 15 years of experience in dentistry, graduated from USC with outstanding achievement award for restorative dentistry, was elected member of Honor Dental Society by the Zeta Chapter and is an active member of and ADA, CDA and CCDS. Apollo Dental Care supports Heritage Patriots & East County Little League.

Apollo Dental Care is located at 4530 Balfour Rd. Suite C in Brentwood. They can be contacted at 925-634-5061.