How’d you like to have teeth like a caveman?
Admittedly, the phrase does not exactly bring an image of shiny, pearly whites to mind.
Not surprisingly, though, a new study which was pointed out to me by a blog reader in the UK illustrates how our modern day diet is helping to cause tooth decay and to generally, as per the article, ‘wreck our teeth’.
The online publication, The Age, states that “Our mouths are now in a permanent state of disease because the refined modern diet has dramatically decreased the diversity of oral bacteria.”
Is anyone remotely surprised about this?
It goes on to explain that “After studying 34 prehistoric human skeletons from northern Europe, an international team of researchers has established for the first time that the DNA can survive within the calcified plaque, known as tartar, for more than 8,000 years. That DNA trapped in the tartar reveals that the meat-dominated, grain-free diet of the hunter gatherers gave our ancestors much healthier mouths.”
According to Nature Genetics, the research shows declining oral health can be pegged to major changes in the way humans lived and ate, with the start of farming in the Neolithic age and the industrial revolution being key turning points. The arrival of farming in Europe about 8,000 years ago and the industrial revolution in the 1800s each increased the amount of refined carbohydrates and sugars humans consumed, which led to our mouths being dominated by cavity-causing bacteria.“
Another perfect example of why what most people are eating today is not what they’re genetically meant to be eating. It’s not just kids eating candy and not brushing their teeth who have it wrong. It’s every person who is eating what essentially is refined sugars which can coat our teeth and break them down, as well as cause varying degrees of halitosis.
And it’s not just humans. While I wouldn’t expect my dog to have fresh, minty breath (don’t tell her I said that), because she’s a Paleo dog and doesn’t eat any grains or other junk found in many pet foods, her breath doesn’t really smell like anything and her teeth are shiny and white, despite her almost 14 year age. If your dog’s mouth stinks, that’s not any more normal than if yours does!
Cut the grains, the beans & dairy and bring on that Paleo smile!