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Many people who are downing energy drinks are telling themselves that they're doing it for health purposes. They think that if they opt for an energy drink over soda, they will be the better for it. But a study that came out of the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine has come to a different conclusion. The research indicated that energy drinks can cause thinning or erosion of the teeth's enamel. This leaves teeth more vulnerable to becoming sensitive and to decay.
Tests on energy drinks and sports drinks showed that both types of drinks result in this dental damage, with the energy drinks being twice as damaging as the sports drinks. The research was performed by Poonam Jain, BDS, MPH, associate professor and director of community dentistry at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine and Jain's colleagues.
Once enamel on a tooth has been damaged it can't be repaired.
Jain recommended that people ideally should avoid energy drinks. If they can't do that, she said that reducing the amount consumed would be the next best thing. She also said that rinsing the mouth with water after an energy drink may help protect the integrity of the teeth.
The logical step after finishing an energy drink may seem to be to brush your teeth. Surprisingly, Jain said that to do so could actually be more damaging as it spreads the acid from the energy drink in the mouth. She suggested waiting for an hour before brushing.
Energy drinks can have more negative effects than eroding the teeth. Energy drinks have high levels of stimulants such as caffeine. A cup of coffee may have about 100 mg of caffeine, and a cup of tea may have no more than 50 mg. A soda may have approximately 50 mg of caffeine. An energy drink surpasses them all and can have as much as 200 mg in a serving.
These high levels of stimulants can raise your blood pressure and your heart rate. You can become dehydrated, and you may have trouble sleeping.
Energy drinks may seem like a good idea to keep you going when you are exercising, but in reality, exercising and consuming energy drinks can cause extreme dehydration because of the diuretic properties of caffeine and because of loss of fluids from perspiration.
Samantha Cassetty, R.D., the Good Housekeeping Research Institute's Director of Nutrition, said that any nutrients found in energy drinks can be more safely gotten from many foods.
Jody Smith is a freelance writer for Empowher.com
Sources:
Energy Drinks: Bad for the Teeth?
http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/news/20120503/are-energy-drinks-bad-for-teeth
Energy Drinks
Energy Drinks: Deceptive?
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-reviews/research-institute/energy-drinks-deceptive
Related Links:
Energy and Sports Drinks Can Erode Tooth Enamel
http://www.empowher.com/dental-amp-oral-health/content/energy-and-sports-drinks-can-erode-tooth-enamel
Coconut Oil: Tooth Decay's New Enemy
http://www.empowher.com/dental-amp-oral-health/content/coconut-oil-tooth-decays-new-enemy
TMD: Disorder of the TMJ
http://www.empowher.com/dental-amp-oral-health/content/tmd-disorder-tmj
