Ah yes, the sweet tooth, it can get us into trouble, always telling us to go ahead and eat all of those delicious yummies that we know we really shouldn’t. From bacteria and plaque eroding the enamel on our teeth contributing to tooth decay, to the excess sugar and fat ruining appetites before supper and also contributing to obesity, that sweet tooth doesn’t do us any favors.
Investigating impacts of the sweet tooth
Now a study of over 180,000 anonymized volunteers enrolled in the UK Biobank from the University of Surrey published in the Journal of Translational Medicine suggests that people with a sweet tooth are at an increased risk of developing depression, diabetes, and experiencing a stroke.
The researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) to group the participants into three general profiles: A health-conscious group that prefers fruits and vegetables over animal-based and sweet foods; an omnivore group that likes most foods, including meats, fish, and some vegetables, as well as sweets and desserts; and a sweet tooth group that prefers sweet foods and sugary drinks and is less interested in healthier options like fruit and vegetables.
Data was used from the UK Biobank on blood samples in which 2,923 proteins and 168 metabolites had been measured from the participants to investigate how the levels had changed in each of the three groups. Additionally, the researchers also examined the differences between the three groups in standard blood biochemistry testing. Comparing the blood-based proteins and metabolites provided the opportunity to obtain a clearer picture of the biological differences between the groups.
Having a sweet tooth is not the best for health
“The foods that you like or dislike seem to directly link to your health. If your favourite foods are cakes, sweets, and sugary drinks, then our study’s results suggest that this may have negative effects on your health. We found that the sweet tooth group are 31% more likely to have depression. We also found that the sweet tooth group had higher rates of diabetes, as well as vascular heart conditions, compared to the other two groups,” said Professor Nophar Geifman, senior author of the study and Professor of Health and Biomedical Informatics at the University of Surrey.
“Importantly, by using data-driven Artificial Intelligence methods, we were able to identify groups of people defined by their food preferences, and these groups are meaningful in that they are linked to health outcomes as well as biological markers, continues Geifman. “Processed sugar is a key factor in the diet of many, and these results are yet more evidence that, as a society, we should do all that we can to think before we eat, stressing that no one wants to tell people what to do, our job is just informing people.”
Predictable results
According to the researchers, the health-conscious group has higher dietary fiber intake, as well as lower risks for heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and stroke compared to the omnivore group which had moderate health risks.
“In the sweet tooth group, they had higher levels of C reactive protein, which is a marker for inflammation. Their blood results also show higher levels of glucose and poor lipid profiles, which is a strong warning sign for diabetes and heart disease,” said Geifman.
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12967-024-05663-0
https://worldhealth.net/news/snack-life-junk-food-craving-sweet-tooth-nation/
