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FEWER TEASPOONS OF SUGAR A DAY WILL CUT DECAY
New research from Newcastle University recommends cutting down on sugar as part of a global initiative to reduce tooth decay.1
Since 1990 the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that intake of free sugars should be less than 10% of total calorie intake. Free sugars are those that are added to food as well as those naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit concentrates.
The Newcastle University study, commissioned by the WHO and published last month in the Journal of Dental Research, recognises the benet of this threshold by showing that when less than 10% of total calories in the diet is made up of free sugars there are much lower levels of tooth decay. The new research ndings go even further, suggesting that halving this threshold for sugars to less than 5% of calories around ve teaspoons a day - would bring further benets, minimising the risk of dental cavities throughout life.
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