Healthy Food and Beverage Standards
COVID-19 and COVID-19-related illness is, unfortunately, the disease that has swept across the entire world for the past two years. News outlets have devoted nearly 24/7 hour coverage to the minute-by-minute developments of this pandemic. Simultaneously, while these tragic events are unfolding – we continue to see cases of heart attacks, obesity, cancer, and cavities.
Cavities?! Okay, okay - I get it – most people wouldn’t put that on the same list as life-threatening diseases like cancer…but maybe they should. Your mouth is connected to the rest of your body. So, what happens to your oral health can have far-reaching ramifications for systemic health and productivity. Even California state representative Tony Cárdenas, D-Calif.(1) has gone on record to state that “oral health illness results in tens of millions of lost workdays each year.” One should take this statistic seriously, because even if you don’t, the bacteria on calculus will. Some of the most prevalent bacteria in your mouth can bind with platelets, small cells in the blood. Once this occurs, normal blood flow can be interrupted leading to blockages in arteries and a higher risk of cardiac events.(2) Given roughly 50 percent of individuals over age 30 have some form of gum disease and heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in America – we must take oral health seriously.
Bacterium from your gums has a secondary target as well - your mind! An infection in your gums can kill off brain cells, leading to memory loss and dementia. To this end, a study published in 2020 showed that participants with gum inflammation were nine times more likely to score lower on cognitive tests.(3) Also, it is important to consider...