HALF of top athletes claim their diets are rotting their teeth
HALF of top athletes claim their high-carb diets are rotting their teeth and holding them back from gold medals!
- Winning athletes love to bite their gold medals and smile for the TV cameras
- However, their teeth may actually be holding them back, according to a study
- The study looked at 350 athletes from nine Great Britain Olympic teams
Winning athletes love to bite their medals and smile for the cameras, but their teeth may actually be holding them back.
About half of Britain’s elite sportsmen and women have dental problems bad enough to affect their performance, according to a study.
Researchers at University College London found high levels of gum disease and other oral health problems among rowers, rugby players and swimmers.
Professor Ian Needleman, who co-led the study, said: ‘Nutrition in sports is heavily reliant on frequent carbohydrate intakes, which are known to increase inflammation in the body and gum tissues.
‘In sports where there is a lot of airflow, such as cycling and running, breathing hard can make the mouth dry, so teeth lose the protective benefits of saliva.’
About half of Britain’s elite sportsmen and women have dental problems bad enough to affect their performance (Tom Daley posing with his gold medal at the FINA World Aquatic Championships after winning the Men’s 10m Platform Diving in Budapest last summer)
The study looked at more than 350 sportsmen and women from nine Great Britain Olympic teams, as well as cycling’s Team Sky, England Rugby and Reading football club.
The research, considered the largest of its kind, was presented at a European dental health conference in the Netherlands yesterday.
Professor Needleman said the stress of racing and performing was also an important risk factor.
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He added: ‘Some athletes (report) vomiting before every race as a result of pre competition anxiety.’
The athletes in the study underwent an oral health screening that assessed levels of tooth decay, tooth erosion and gum disease.
They also completed questionnaires about the impact of oral health on their sports performance and on their quality of life.
The study looked at more than 350 sportsmen and women from nine Great Britain Olympic teams (Sir Mo Farah pictured with his gold medal after winning the 10,000m race at the World Athletic Championships in Stratford)
The research, considered the largest of its kind, was presented at a European dental health conference in the Netherlands yesterday (Team GB athlete Victoria Pendleton after winning gold in the Women’s Keirin at the 2012 London Olympics)
CAN POOR ORAL HEALTH LEAD TO DIABETES?
People with poor oral health may have an increased risk of developing diabetes, a study warned in March.
Researchers found a positive relationship between the number of missing teeth people had and glucose intolerance.
It’s well-known that people with poorly controlled diabetes have a greater risk of developing dental problems such as gum disease and decaying teeth.
But the research suggested that poor oral health could also signify an onset of the disease.
The study, done by researchers at City of Hope National Medical Center, suggested dental exams may be a tool for diagnosing a person’s risk for developing diabetes.
Around 49 per cent were found to have untreated tooth decay and 77 per cent had gingivitis, an early indicator of gum disease.
More than a third (39 per cent) self-reported having bleeding gums while cleaning their teeth, a sign of gum inflammation.
And a similar amount said these conditions had impacted negatively on their sporting performance, along with their ability to eat relax and sleep.
This was despite the athletes involved in the study reporting frequent brushing, according to Professor Needleman.
He said: ‘Every sport examined revealed significant levels of oral ill-health with the overall risk of tooth decay being higher for an elite athlete than the general population,
Around 97 per cent of athletes in the study said they brushed their teeth twice a day, and 40 per cent said they flossed once a day.
This is higher than the general population, with 75 per cent brushing twice a day and 21 percent flossing once daily, the researchers said.
The researchers urged all athletes and coaches to think carefully about sports nutrition and to go for regular dental and oral health checks.
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