I’ve seen a few mentions of that in the thread. You can find all kinds of stuff on the internet saying endurance athletes’ teeth are rotting out of their heads faster than they can bike (run, swim, whatever).
This article from CyclingTips cites a study that suggests that may not be true. It also includes some other information that may be helpful. One thing it notes is that chasing carbs with water has little effect. (I wonder if chasing with a hydration drink that includes sodium bicarbonate would be better because sodium bicarbonate is how your saliva neutralizes acid.)
I also recall a case (I think cited on one of the podcasts) of a diet person for a pro team telling his team to brush their teeth two or three times a day and reporting several improvements, including reduced incidents of upper respiratory infections.
No answers there, but maybe information to inform decisions. Maybe this would be a good podcast topic.
I understand where the article is going and I am sure it it overblown. My dentist sees it all the time with people that drink a lot of gator aid and soft drinks. Especially kids as you can imagine. I wont go into weight gain as that is a different subject.
I realize anything along these lines can do it if you drink enough of it consistently.
I was doing an everesting which had a 30min downhill. I was doing all my eating and drinking on the climb. At the top I would chew a piece of trident gum all the way down. I believe it contains some stuff to neutralize the bacteria that feeds on sugar? Maybe someone can tell me otherwise, else it could be helpful to others.
Saccharin causes cancer in lab rats–if you inject them with a dose equal to about 50 12-packs of diet soda a day.
Yeah, the study they cited says no significant difference between the set of (35 German) endurance athletes they looked at and the general population.
I also note that some people seem to get cavities just by looking at a packet of sugar while others can consume it in quantity and have perfect dental health, so the specifics of your natural mouth biome/chemistry may have more to do with it than anything.
The pro cyclists brush teeth thing was more about them generally having not so good dental hygiene to begin with, if I remember right, but was interesting for the possible knock on effects (reduce upper respiratory illness).
The idea behind using a sugar free gum after ingesting carbs is based on increasing salivary flow. The gum stimulates the saliva glands to increase the flow of saliva. The increased saliva then buffers the acid attack that occurs after ingesting carbs bringing the ph of the mouth to a more normal level much quicker. Bacteria in our mouths also feed on carbs, and they produce acid as a byproduct. It is that acid that causes decay. Chewing sugar free gum after eating is supported by a good amount of research demonstrating its effectiveness in preventing tooth decay. Interestingly, research has failed to demonstrate that toothbrushing offers any significant benefit towards reducing decay. It is necessary for healthy gums, but just like we can’t out-train a bad diet, we also cannot out-brush a sugary diet.
This is interesting. I’ve taken to brushing my teeth after gel/drink fueled rides or workouts when I get that feeling in my mouth that my teeth are disintegrating. I already keep a stash of Trident gum in the car. Seems like I should add it to my post-ride/workout routine. Not sure I would introduce it to a long ride though. It’s hard enough stashing gel wrappers in my jersey pocket. No way I could handle holding on to the gum wrapper so I could properly wrap up my ABC gum before stashing it in a pocket.
I just went and brushed my teeth. Felt necessary after reading this thread.
What about caffeine? A main reason I use sports products is for the convenience of getting some caffeine in, especially for early morning rides. Other than making my own whole foods based bars that incorporate some coffee or tea, I don’t know an easy way to get caffeine and it definitely helps me get through rides. My time from waking up to on the trainer doesn’t allow making a cup of coffee, drinking it, and the requisite poop.
I had a thought. What if this is all a plot by orthodontists so encourage other riders forego fueling so they look better on their expensive S-Works bikes and Zipp wheels?
Spoke to my dentist about this and he recommended rinsing your mouth with a bit of bicarb + water immediately following a ride where you’re consuming high carb stuff, and then brushing your teeth afterwards. (usually 30-60 min after eating which can be a pain with post-workout nutrition, but once I got into a habit it was pretty easy to remember)
I wrecked my dental enamel through years of bulimia, so I have to be pretty careful with my teeth. I’ve found that being mindful of dental hygiene following workouts has actually improved the sensitivity and appearance of my teeth (which I’ll take as a positive) and I haven’t done any further damage in the last couple of years. Fingers crossed though!
Wouldn’t using gels be better (in relative terms) for your teeth rather than chewy energy bars as a gel tends to just go straight down and not spend as long in the mouth and therefore in contact with your teeth?
I remember the podcast episode about this, and it was mostly just reiterating the usual stuff “You won’t get hyperglycaemia because your GLUT4 transporters are active”, or the “eating a chocolate bar on the bike isn’t the same as eating it on the sofa”, but it didn’t really address the elephant in the room. Even if you aren’t going to take the carbs and turn them into visceral fat, are there more pernicious long-term harms you’re doing yourself in high-carb fuelling?
I can’t find it now of course, but I recall reading a really good article on this by a dietician who made the point that because the processing of carbs ingested during exercise is totally different than when at rest, using them to fuel performance didn’t have the same long term health implications that eating a bunch of highly processed carbs would when at rest. It got me comfortable that the sugary snacks and beverages while on the bike and right after were okay.
But is there a point when the amount of carbs you take in overwhelms the Glut4 transporters ability to shift it into the muscle for use and Insulin has to kick in for extended periods of time to help clear the glucose out of the blood. I have no idea whether that would happen, just asking the question.
