DO STARCHY CARBS CAUSE CAVITIES?

It’s common knowledge that sugar causes cavities, but new Cornell University research provides evidence that — depending on your genetic makeup — starches could also be a contributing factor.
A new study explores the response of the oral microbiome to starch, finding that the number of copies of a particular gene, AMY1, in combination with starch, alters the complex composition of bacteria that play a role in oral health.
“Most people have been warned that if you eat a bunch of sugar, make sure you brush your teeth,” said Angela Poole, senior author and assistant professor of molecular nutrition. “The takeaway finding here is that depending on your AMY1 number, you may want to be just as vigilant about brushing your teeth after eating those digestible starches.”
“If someone has a high copy number, they break down starch efficiently, and bacteria that like those sugars are going to grow more in that person’s mouth,” Poole said. “So you can have species behave differently based on the different substrates. It’s pretty incredible — how we adapt and these microbes turn around and adapt, too.”
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