Do sugarless gummy bears fight cavities?
Categories: Kids 5-7, Health & safety, Eating & nutrition, Home remedies
Gummy bears. They're small, chewy, colorful, and, when they get hot, rather gooey. They stick to your teeth, and they're full of sugar. That may soon give way to a new breed of bear, the sugarless gummy. These gummy bears contain an ingredient I've long been noting with raised eyebrow in sugarless gum: Xylitol. I don't trust anything "gummy," and I certainly don't trust anything that I can't pronounce (or spell without the aid of spell check). So you can imagine I suspect a claim that sugarless gummy bears fight cavities.
While not all dentists are readily hopping on the ursine sugarless gummy wagon, researchers are suggesting sugarless gummy bears could be used to target cavities. Xylitol is a sugar that comes from plants and berries, and does not provide energy to the streptococcus bacteria responsible for cavities like other sugars. In a study of 154 school-age children, who were given daily doses of sugarless gummy bears containing either xylitol or maltitol, a different sugar substitute, both sets of kids showed a reduced level of bacteria in the kids' mouths.
What remains to be seen is whether or not the sugarless gummies actually prevent cavities. It should also be noted that the sugarless, xylitol gummy bears are not currently available on the market. No information was available as to whether or not the sugarless variety are as likely to get stuck in your teeth.
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