According to dental professionals, endurance athletes are at greater risk for dental problems than non-athletes, but how? Isnt working out supposed to promote good health? There are two factors contributing to this: 1. Consuming large amounts of sports drinks 2. Breathing improperly during training, causing a dry mouth. Either of these can damage your oral health and the risks are amplified when you add them together. According to a study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine elite athletes use training strategies that “coincide with risk factors for dental caries and erosion.” Nearly 84% of them consumed sports drinks during training. Nearly half of them took “little sips often, from a bottle.” Another more recent study, included 35 triathletes and 35 non-exercising controls. After assessing oral status, and looking at the participants’ eating, drinking, and oral hygiene behavior, the researchers found that athletes had an increased risk for dental erosion, but not caries, although their risk for caries was significantly correlated with their cumulative weekly training time. The more they trained, the higher their risk for caries. Other studies have found similar results. As noted by the New York Times, “In a study published last year in The British Journal of Sports Medicine,5 dentists who examined 278 athletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London reported that a majority displayed ‘poor oral health ,including high levels of tooth decay, often in conjunction with gum disease and erosion of the tooth enamel. One of the primary problems with sports drinks is related to the high amounts of sugar these drinks contain. The leading brands of sports drinks typically contain as much as two-thirds the amount of sugar found in sodas and many contain far more. They also contain processed high-fructose corn syrup and/or artificial sweeteners. Sugar, as you probably know, is the enemy when it comes to maintaining optimal dental health. It’s very difficult to maintain caries-free teeth if you’re consuming high amounts of sugar, as sugar feeds bacteria that produce tooth decay and gum disease. Previous research has also shown that sports drinks are up to 30 times more erosive to your teeth than water. This occurs because of the corrosive activity of phosphoric or citric acid. Brushing your teeth won’t help because the citric acid in the sports drink will soften your tooth enamel so much it could be damaged by brushing. Continuously sipping a sugary beverage is particularly harmful to your teeth, as with each sip you’re feeding caries-promoting bacteria in your mouth. Aside from its detrimental effect on your teeth, processed fructose is also known to inhibit your body’s natural production of human growth hormone (HGH), also known as “the fitness hormone” and should therefore be strictly avoided before, during and for at least two hours after high intensity exercise. Ironically, while these drinks are often referred to as energy drinks. In the long run, the sugar they contain does just the opposite. After causing a quick explosion of energy, your energy plummets as your pancreas and other glands do all they can do to balance out the toxic stimulation to your blood sugar. Instead of a sports drink, consider coconut water when you need to rehydrate during exertion or when sweating profusely. It contains natural electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids, enzymes, antioxidants and phytonutrients. While being low in sugar, it is still somewhat sweet. Coconut water also has anti-inflammatory properties, protects your heart and urinary tract, is a digestive tonic, improves your skin and eyes, supports good immune function and can even help to balance your blood glucose and insulin levels. Look for a brand that has no additives. Another healthy option is to add a small pinch of natural, unprocessed salt, such as Himalayan salt, to your water or coconut water. You can also add a splash of lemon or lime juice to water if you like. Contrary to processed salt, this natural unprocessed salt contains 84 different minerals and trace minerals that your body needs for optimal function. Mouth Breathing is Another Factor That Promotes Poor Oral Health:: Most people, including elite athletes, tend to breathe heavily through their mouth during exercise. Mouth breathing reduces the flow of saliva and dries out your mouth. This too allows bacteria to thrive. Mouth and nose breathing differ dramatically in terms of the depth of your breath, how the air is “prepared,” and the effects they produce in your body. Nasal breathing has a number of physiological advantages over mouth breathing. One important benefit is the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is made by your nose and sinus mucous membranes, so when you breathe through your nose, you carry a small amount of this gas into your lungs. Nitric oxide is a potent bronchodilator and vasodilator, so it helps lower your blood pressure and significantly increases your lungs’ oxygen-absorbing capacity. Nitric oxide also kills bacteria, viruses, and other germs. Overbreathing, on the other hand, which results from hyperventilating during exertion, causes your CO2 levels to drop. This reduces blood flow to your heart and increases your risk for cardiac arrhythmias, which can be dangerous. Most athletes experiencing sudden cardiac arrest during exertion don’t fit the model of what you would normally expect, in terms of heart disease risk. They seem to be doing everything right. However, like the rest of us, they often breathe too deeply and quickly which is a risk factor by itself. Hyperventilation may play a significant role in some of those unexpected cardiac events in otherwise healthy athletes. It could also be the reason why extreme endurance exercise has been found to have more risks than benefits for your heart. How the Buteyko Breathing Method Can Benefit Your Fitness: If you tend to hyperventilate or breathe through your mouth during exercise, there are simple techniques you can learn to gradually transition yourself back into nose breathing. Nose breathing will also help prevent the creation of an environment in your mouth that could promote caries and dental erosion. That technique is the Buteyko breathing method, named after the Russian physician who developed it back in the 1950s. Even if you are not an endurance athlete, it‘s important to control your breathing when you exercise. Ideally, you should be exercising only to the extent that you can continue breathing through your nose the vast majority of the time. If this means backing off on intensity, then that’s what you need to do, realizing that it’s only temporary until your body begins to adjust to your slightly increased CO2 levels. With practice, nose breathing during exercise will help improve your health and fitness and it can also help you maintain better oral health.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 10:43:56 +0000
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