The Worst Halloween Candy For Teeth?

…and other items from this week in the health science world:

More than a sour taste in your mouth

Everyone knows that sugar is bad for teeth; mostly only know that this is because it feeds harmful bacteria in the mouth, though.

People also know that acid isn’t good for the teeth, either! And after eating sugary foods, your mouth becomes more acidic and starts pulling minerals like calcium and potassium from your teeth.

So, guess what makes it worst of all? Food that’s sugary and acidic! Consequently, sour candies are the absolute worst, since they combine sugar with high acidity from ingredients like citric, malic, tartaric, and fumaric acids. that acidic mix rapidly lowers mouth pH and weakens tooth enamel.

And on a population level, it’s getting worse: sales of sour treats have surged by about 70% over the past decade, driven by viral “sour candy challenges”, and it’s not only kids: around 1 in 8 adults now seek intensely sour sensations too.

Two quick tips in this regard:

• Do not brush your teeth right away! It only spreads the acid and worsens enamel damage. Instead, rinse with water, floss if needed, and wait at least 30 minutes before brushing with your usual toothpaste.
• If (like this writer) you love sour foods: naturally sour foods like pickles, sauerkraut, and kombucha can benefit gut health, and unlike sour candies, they aren’t sugary, and thus are much less harmful to your teeth. You should still drink plenty of water with them though, as a) it rinses the acid b) fermented foods are often a bit high in salt, so hydration keeps things balanced.

Read in full: This common Halloween candy might be the scariest thing you eat

Related: From Apples to Bees, and High-Fructose Cs: Which Sugars Are Healthier, And Which Are Just The Same?

The blood of long life

Researchers (Dr. Motohiro Sekiya et al.) at the University of Tsukuba have discovered that a molecule found in the blood (known to its friends as CtBP2), appears to act as a master regulator of aging across the body.

How it works: it functions as a metabolic sensor, adjusting to changes in energy balance. When active, it supports healthy metabolism and cellular communication; when it declines, systemic aging accelerates.

This is quite big news, as it means aging is coordinated throughout the body rather than occurring in isolated organs—when CtBP2 activity drops, multiple systems appear to age together. Definitely another argument for tackling our health holistically!

Read in full: A hidden blood molecule may hold the secret to healthy aging and long life

Related: Blood Labs Demystified – by Dr. Ken Berry & Kim Howerton

The witch doctor is in

Fun fact: before the 14th century, women folk healers were accepted as essential community medical providers, but the rise of university-trained male physicians and church power led to their demonization as “witches”.

Ok, maybe that latter part isn’t so fun. And to add insult to injury, this also meant that as women were persecuted from the 14th to mid-18th centuries, a remarkable lot of traditional herbal knowledge was suppressed or outright lost.

Modern researchers are now reassessing the plants once used in “witches’ brews” for their pharmacological value. Many “magical ingredients” are erstwhile common names for certain plants, for example:

• Eye of newt: mustard seed (Sinapis alba)—shown to have anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and anti-tumour effects.
• Wool of bat: holly leaves—can lower blood fats and cholesterol, though toxic in large doses.
• Tongue of dog: hound’s tongue—historically used for malaria and hepatitis but contains liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
• Adder’s fork: adder’s-tongue fern—used for wound healing and circulation, now also found in cosmetic formulations.

There were also psychoactive phytochemicals that saw use, for example:

• Flying ointments: made from tropane alkaloid plants like deadly nightshade and henbane, absorbed through skin to cause hallucinations and sensations of flight—essentially an early form of transdermal delivery.
  • Furthermore, the idea of witches flying with broomsticks between their legs likely came from this, too. Transdermal absorption is strongest places with thin skin and a lot of capillaries, making the armpits and groin amongst the most effective application sites to brush the ointment onto, and the other best sites are places with an accessible mucus membrane, which means bodily orifices. Add these two facts together, and there’s one very obvious most potent application site.
• Sleep potions: included foxglove (source of cardiac glycosides) and Indian snakeroot (source of reserpine, later rediscovered as a blood-pressure drug).
• Love potions: used mandrake, Ephedra sinica, and betel nut, all stimulant or euphoric agents; at higher doses they became poisonous though.

We don’t recommend these!

Read in full: Women folk healers were branded as witches, but their treatments may have been medically sound

Related: Herbs For Evidence-Based Health & Healing

Take care!