Benzoates are used in a huge range of foods to help keep the food supply safe from bacteria and other toxins. They commonly make up a tiny proportion, just 0.1 or 0.2 percent of foods like diet soda, ice cream, fruit salads, margarine, and fruit drinks. Most people also get benzoates from natural sources, including cranberries, prunes, and cinnamon. Another preservative that the team studied, sorbate, is common in items like candy bars, lunch meats, mayonnaise and dried fruits.
Bowen and other researchers are confident that the widespread use of fluoride in dental products, food, and drinking water deserves the lion's share of credit for bringing down the rate of tooth decay nationwide after World War II and into the 1980s. But, Bowen notes, "During that same time frame, there's been a huge increase in the use of food preservatives. The decline in tooth decay seen over much of the latter half of the 20th century pretty well matches the increase in soft-drink consumption. In the United States, soda consumption is up to an average of two cans a day per person. That's a lot of benzoate, more than half a gram each day."
Though fluoride and food preservatives are common in the diet of most Americans, Bowen is quick to repeat the age-old adage that without sugar-rich foods, bacteria wouldn't have the meals they rely on to produce the acids that cause tooth decay. The best way to avoid cavities, he says, is to avoid foods high in sugar, brush and floss regularly, and undergo regular dental checkups.
The new research reflects a coming of age of the understanding of how fluoride protects tooth enamel, says Marquis. Fifty years ago Roches
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Contact: Tom Rickey
trickey@admin.rochester.edu
716-275-7954
University of Rochester
7-Apr-2000