Please Cut The Cheese

Eating a lot of sugary foods did not boost the risk for cavities in a group of Swedish 4-year-olds, a recent study finds. But kids who ate the most cheese products were somewhat protected from tooth decay. The study appears in the January issue of Caries Research.

Researchers from Umea University in Sweden collected information on 124 4-year-olds who had been part of a dental study as infants. They lived in areas of Sweden where there was not much tooth decay.

The study found that kids who ate a lot of cheese had about one-third less decay than kids who ate little or no cheese. Other studies have shown that dairy products can protect against tooth decay.

Also, children who had high levels of decay-causing bacteria – called mutans streptococci – had a 60% increased risk of decay.

The researchers did not find an increased risk of decay linked with eating carbohydrate-containing foods. They also did not find decay linked with total calories eaten per day, or with eating more or less of any specific vitamin or mineral.

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