An Apple A Day Can Rot Your Teeth reported in "The Week" 23rd February 2002
An Apple a day may keep the doctor away but it may have the reverse effect on the dentist. Modern varieties of apple contain so much sugar that they can do as much damage to teeth as sweete and fizzy drinks. Pink Lady, Braeburn and Fuji, for instance, contain the equivalent of 4 teaspoons of sugar. To make matters worse, the high levels of acid found in all apples can gradually wear away tooth enamel. In fact the risk is such that dentists say apples - and fruit juices - should no longer be trated as snacks between meals. Instead they recommend only eating or drinking them at mealtimes - and then rinsing your mouth out with water. Scientists who studied tooth decay among children discovered that those who came from vegan or fruitarian families suffered the most tooth problems. "You expect such children to have a low-sugar diet," said Tom Sanders of Kings College London told the Sunday Times, "but in fact they were getting so much sugar from fruit and juices that it was unhealthy. There is not much difference between apple juice and Sunny Delight or Cola in terms of sugar."
An Apple a day may keep the doctor away but it may have the reverse effect on the dentist. Modern varieties of apple contain so much sugar that they can do as much damage to teeth as sweete and fizzy drinks. Pink Lady, Braeburn and Fuji, for instance, contain the equivalent of 4 teaspoons of sugar. To make matters worse, the high levels of acid found in all apples can gradually wear away tooth enamel. In fact the risk is such that dentists say apples - and fruit juices - should no longer be trated as snacks between meals. Instead they recommend only eating or drinking them at mealtimes - and then rinsing your mouth out with water. Scientists who studied tooth decay among children discovered that those who came from vegan or fruitarian families suffered the most tooth problems. "You expect such children to have a low-sugar diet," said Tom Sanders of Kings College London told the Sunday Times, "but in fact they were getting so much sugar from fruit and juices that it was unhealthy. There is not much difference between apple juice and Sunny Delight or Cola in terms of sugar."
