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British Dental Journal paper finds products contain acidic additives that can lead to the erosion of tooth enamel.
Sugar-free gum, sweets and soft drinks, marketed as healthy alternatives to sugary products, can damage teeth, cause gastric problems and are unlikely to promote weight loss, research claims.
A study review in the British Dental Journal (BDJ) found that sugar-free foods and drinks contain acidic additives that may cause dental problems by eroding the enamel on consumers' teeth.
Disclosure of what the authors call a "hidden risk" could affect sales of sugar-free products, especially given what the paper describes as consumers' blind confidence in such products as a good thing.
The paper, Are sugar-free confections really beneficial for dental health?, examined the role of sugar substitutes used in products to reduce the risk of tooth decay. While one commonly used group of substitutes, called sugar alcohols, or polyols, do lessen the risk of cavities, they can cause acidity in the mouth that then leads to erosion of teeth enamel, says the paper.
These substitutes include xylitol, which the European commission has allowed to market itself as a "tooth friendly" ingredient in chewing gum. Xylitol is widely-used in sugar-free products sold in the UK.
The literature review, by academics from the universities of Boston, Helsinki and Southern Nevada, concludes: "As the use of sorbitol and xylitol containing products increases, the public should be educated on the hidden risk of dental erosion due to acidic additives, as well as the adverse effects of gastric disturbance and osmotic diarrhoea. Especially in sugar-free products, these adverse effects may be more insidious because the public has blind confidence that they are oral health friendly."
It adds: "Although the presence of acidic flavourings and preservatives in sugar-free products has received less attention, these additives may have adverse dental health effects, such as dental erosion. Furthermore, the term sugar-free may generate false security because people may automatically believe that sugar-free products are safe on teeth."
The review raises the wider question of what health-related claims made on behalf of products can be trusted, said Stephen Hancocks, the BDJ's editor-in-chief. "The claim might well mean what it says and be suitably backed-up by research evidence, but does it fully say what it means, or alternatively, what is it not saying? Sugar-free may seem to indicate that a sweet or other product is tooth friendly, but this is not automatically the case," he wrote in a commentary on the findings.
Given sugar-free products' role in erosion of dental enamel, and doubts over perceptions of them as helping users to consume fewer calories, he continued, "the result is a minefield of confusion for the patient who is trying his or her very best to comply with healthy choices and a complex labyrinth of communication for the professional in attempting to convey practical advice."
Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser to the British Dental Association, which represents dentists, said excess use of sugar-free products containing fruit flavourings could rot the enamel covering the dentine in teeth and ultimately cause teeth to dissolve.
參考譯文：
英國牙科雜誌一篇論文發現含有酸性添加劑的產品會侵蝕牙齒琺琅質。
研究表明，通常作為甜食的健康替代品出售的無糖口香糖、糖果以及軟飲料會損害牙齒，並能導致胃部問題，對減肥也並無效果。
BDJ（英國牙科雜誌）的一篇研究評論發現，含有酸性添加劑的無糖食物和飲料可能會腐蝕牙齒琺琅質。
這個作者所揭露的內容可以稱為一大“隱患”，會影響到無糖產品的銷售，尤其是這篇論文中寫到消費者盲目自信的認為這些是有益食物。
《無糖糖果對牙齒健康真的有益嗎？》這zhe篇pian論lun文wen測ce試shi了le糖tang類lei替ti代dai品pin的de作zuo用yong，它ta們men能neng降jiang低di牙ya齒chi侵qin蝕shi的de風feng險xian。該gai論lun文wen說shuo，現xian在zai人ren們men普pu遍bian采cai用yong的de替ti代dai品pin，如ru糖tang醇chun或huo者zhe多duo元yuan醇chun，確que實shi能neng減jian輕qing蛀zhu牙ya的de風feng險xian，但dan是shi會hui增zeng加jia口kou腔qiang的de酸suan度du，進jin而er侵qin蝕shi牙ya齒chi琺fa琅lang質zhi。
這些替代品包括木糖醇，歐盟委員會早已經允許它作為口香糖中的護牙成分。木糖醇廣泛用於英國銷售的無糖產品。
波士頓、赫爾辛基和南內華達州大學的學者的文獻綜述聲稱：“隨sui著zhe含han山shan梨li醇chun和he木mu糖tang醇chun的de產chan品pin的de增zeng多duo，我wo們men應ying該gai讓rang公gong眾zhong得de知zhi酸suan性xing添tian加jia劑ji有you導dao致zhi牙ya酸suan蝕shi病bing的de隱yin藏zang風feng險xian，並bing有you能neng引yin起qi胃wei功gong能neng紊wen亂luan和he滲shen透tou性xing腹fu瀉xie的de副fu作zuo用yong。特te別bie是shi在zai無wu糖tang產chan品pin中zhong，這zhe些xie副fu作zuo用yong更geng為wei隱yin蔽bi，因yin為wei公gong眾zhong盲mang目mu的de相xiang信xin它ta們men是shi有you益yi於yu口kou腔qiang健jian康kang的de。”
它還說：“盡(jin)管(guan)對(dui)無(wu)糖(tang)產(chan)品(pin)中(zhong)含(han)有(you)的(de)酸(suan)性(xing)調(tiao)味(wei)劑(ji)和(he)防(fang)腐(fu)劑(ji)的(de)關(guan)注(zhu)較(jiao)少(shao)，但(dan)這(zhe)些(xie)添(tian)加(jia)劑(ji)對(dui)牙(ya)齒(chi)健(jian)康(kang)可(ke)能(neng)會(hui)產(chan)生(sheng)副(fu)作(zuo)用(yong)，如(ru)牙(ya)酸(suan)蝕(shi)病(bing)。此(ci)外(wai)，無(wu)糖(tang)這(zhe)個(ge)說(shuo)法(fa)可(ke)能(neng)會(hui)產(chan)生(sheng)誤(wu)導(dao)，人(ren)們(men)會(hui)不(bu)假(jia)思(si)索(suo)的(de)認(ren)為(wei)無(wu)糖(tang)產(chan)品(pin)對(dui)牙(ya)齒(chi)有(you)益(yi)。”
這篇論文提出了更廣泛的問題，為了產品的銷售而做出的這些與健康有關的聲明是可以信賴的，BDJ的總編史蒂芬•漢考克斯說。“zhexieshengmingkenengjiuweilejieshizhege，bingqieyanjiudexiangguanlunjuzhenghaokeyizhichengzhezhongguandian，danshizhenengchongfenzhengmingzheshizhengquedema，huozhe，haiyounaxiezhengmingbuledene？wutangsihubiaomingtangguohuozheqitachanpinshihuyade，danshizhebingbushilisuodangrandezhengju，”他在一篇評論中這樣描述他的發現。
考慮到無糖產品會侵蝕牙齒琺琅質，它們能幫助人們消耗更少的卡路裏的這種看法也受到質疑，他繼續說，“結果是，試圖盡力來遵從健康選擇的病人處在一種混亂的狀態，專業人員試圖傳達切實可行的建議時也遭遇了複雜的狀況。”
達米安•沃姆斯利教授，英國牙醫協會——牙醫的代表——的科學顧問，說過多的食用含有水果調味劑的無糖產品會侵蝕牙齒表麵的琺琅質，並最終導致牙齒腐爛。
原文鏈接：Sugar-free drinks and chewing gum may cause damage to teeth
