greeneyedgirl
09-10-2005, 08:25 AM
Want To Fight Cavities? Eat Gummi Bears!
September 9, 2005
By Michelle Esteban
SEATTLE - The staff at KOMO 4 News did a double take when we saw a local ad for a gummi bear study. The ad is searching for participants willing to eat gummi bears.
Then we read further and found out these gummi bears fight cavities.
Who can resist them, they're cute, sweet and now good for your teeth.
"My mom always told me those candies were gross and bad for me," says Antonio Barchetta, 11, during a field trip at the Seattle Center.
We know it's counter intuitive, contrary to what we've always believed, but this candy is a cavity fighter.
"We're trying to find a way to give kids in particular something in their diet that would prevent tooth decay," explains U.W. Lead Researcher and Dental Professor Peter Milgrom.
To do that, Milgrom asked a California candy maker to add xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar, to gummi bears. Xylitol may sound familiar because it's already being used in some sugarless chewing gums.
"We don't let kids chew gum at school and don't let little kids chew gum cause they might choke." So Milgrom says his challenge became how to get xylitol in a child's diet?
"Gummi bears!" brags Milgrom.
It got Laurie Rossnagel's attention.
"They had this cute little ad with a gummi bear on it, so I signed up," says Rossnagel.
She signed up for Milgrom's clinical study to help determine the effectiveness of xylitol gummi bears. They're still looking for more people willing to try their gummi bears.
"When I was a kid I had cavities and I hated going to the dentist, I remember that vividly. If this study can help other kids then I'll all for helping," says Rossnagel.
Xylitol works like brushing your teeth. It reduces the amount of bacteria that causes tooth decay by making the bacteria less likely to stick to your teeth.
"I'm eating gummi worms, " says Sam Stull. We found in him the candy shop at the Seattle Center. Every kid we talked to said candy that mom will approve us is a big plus. "A child's life is all about sugar," says Stull's schoolmate Antonio Barchetta.
Right now, you can't buy gummi bears with xylitol, the only place you can find them is in the lab at the University of Washington.
"I don't really floss my teeth," admits Barchetta. "My mom always tell me to, and so does my dentist, so I could just eat that every morning."
The U.W. expects results in the spring.
We had one big concern: if the cavity fighting gummi bears, make it to market, how will kids know the difference - and will they think all gummi bears are cavity fighter?
The professor says, once they're on the market, he thinks they'll take over. He pointed to Japan, where he says once xylitol gum was introduced, that's all consumers buy now.
So of course, maybe the even bigger question, how do these things taste? We were surprised they tasted like gummi bears!
September 9, 2005
By Michelle Esteban
SEATTLE - The staff at KOMO 4 News did a double take when we saw a local ad for a gummi bear study. The ad is searching for participants willing to eat gummi bears.
Then we read further and found out these gummi bears fight cavities.
Who can resist them, they're cute, sweet and now good for your teeth.
"My mom always told me those candies were gross and bad for me," says Antonio Barchetta, 11, during a field trip at the Seattle Center.
We know it's counter intuitive, contrary to what we've always believed, but this candy is a cavity fighter.
"We're trying to find a way to give kids in particular something in their diet that would prevent tooth decay," explains U.W. Lead Researcher and Dental Professor Peter Milgrom.
To do that, Milgrom asked a California candy maker to add xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar, to gummi bears. Xylitol may sound familiar because it's already being used in some sugarless chewing gums.
"We don't let kids chew gum at school and don't let little kids chew gum cause they might choke." So Milgrom says his challenge became how to get xylitol in a child's diet?
"Gummi bears!" brags Milgrom.
It got Laurie Rossnagel's attention.
"They had this cute little ad with a gummi bear on it, so I signed up," says Rossnagel.
She signed up for Milgrom's clinical study to help determine the effectiveness of xylitol gummi bears. They're still looking for more people willing to try their gummi bears.
"When I was a kid I had cavities and I hated going to the dentist, I remember that vividly. If this study can help other kids then I'll all for helping," says Rossnagel.
Xylitol works like brushing your teeth. It reduces the amount of bacteria that causes tooth decay by making the bacteria less likely to stick to your teeth.
"I'm eating gummi worms, " says Sam Stull. We found in him the candy shop at the Seattle Center. Every kid we talked to said candy that mom will approve us is a big plus. "A child's life is all about sugar," says Stull's schoolmate Antonio Barchetta.
Right now, you can't buy gummi bears with xylitol, the only place you can find them is in the lab at the University of Washington.
"I don't really floss my teeth," admits Barchetta. "My mom always tell me to, and so does my dentist, so I could just eat that every morning."
The U.W. expects results in the spring.
We had one big concern: if the cavity fighting gummi bears, make it to market, how will kids know the difference - and will they think all gummi bears are cavity fighter?
The professor says, once they're on the market, he thinks they'll take over. He pointed to Japan, where he says once xylitol gum was introduced, that's all consumers buy now.
So of course, maybe the even bigger question, how do these things taste? We were surprised they tasted like gummi bears!