If you’re overweight or – worse – obese, there is a long list of health problems you might have to accept you have a higher risk for. We all know the big ones: diabetes, heart problems, cancer… and the list goes on and one. But now experts are claiming that obesity has another knock-on effect. And that’s poor oral health.
According to a news release issued by the British Dental Health Foundation, a World Health Organisation study suggests those with deep periodontal pockets (that is, pockets in the gums that trap food and plaque, which leads to tooth decay) are found in a higher proportion of people with a body mass index of 30 or more.
So what’s that all about then? Do obese people brush their teeth less frequently than those who are of normal weight? Don’t they floss regularly enough? Or perhaps they don’t see their dentist very often because they’re too busy scoffing cake.
Well there may be a slither of truth in that last – admittedly sardonic – suggestion, as, according to the BDHF, the rise in snacking (rather than eating three square meals a day) could be at least partly to blame. Rather, at least, snacking has been linked with the rise of obesity by North Carolina University experts. The more we snack, the fatter we get, they say. Well duh.
“Snacking and grazing is becoming an increasing problem, particularly as people are working longer hours,” says Dr Nigel Carter of the BDHF. “The notion of ‘desk grazing’ might suffice short-term hunger, but it is considerably better for your teeth and general health if you eat three meals a day instead of having seven to 10 ‘snack attacks’. If you do need to snack between meals, choose foods such as cheese, breadsticks, nuts or raw vegetables.”
So there you have it. Give up the snacks, eat three good meals a day instead, and not only will you lose weight, but you’ll have better teeth too. Sounds like a sensible idea to me…