Читать книгу The Impact of Nutrition and Diet on Oral Health - Группа авторов - Страница 11

Diet and nutrition are fundamental in maintaining the general and oral health of populations. Diet refers to the total amount of food consumed by individuals, and consists of different constituents which can be governed by many factors such as environmental conditions and availability of food, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, and so on. Nutrition is the process of utilising food for growth, metabolism and repair of tissues, and involves ingestion, digestion, absorption, transport, incorporation into cells, and excretion. The main dietary patterns include: omnivorous (a mixed diet of both plant and animal origin), flexitarian (a plant-based diet with occasional animal protein consumption), pescatarian (a plant-based diet with a restriction of animal protein consumption to fish and seafood only), pollotarian (a plant-based diet with a restriction of animal protein consumption to poultry and fowl only), lacto-ovo vegetarian (a vegetarian diet with inclusion of dairy products such as cheese, milk and yogurt), and vegan (a restricted vegetarian diet with exclusion of any animal product or their by-products such as gelatine). Convenience, life style, nutritional status, health and weight management are among the factors which passively influence the dietary pattern of each individual.

Fig. 1. Eatwell Guide of Public Health England [1].

The relationship between diet and nutrition and health is 2-way. Health status can be affected by nutrient deficiency and vice versa, that is, any health problem (including oral health) may affect nutritional status. The main nutrients required to maintain general and oral health are proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals. Many health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several forms of cancer, osteoporosis and dental disease can be avoided by having a well-planned nourishing diet. A “Balanced Diet” consists of a variety of different types of food that provides sufficient amounts of nutrients required to maintain good health. All over the world, dietary guidelines have been produced by governments to provide evidence-based food and beverage recommendations for populations. These recommendations aim to promote a diet that meets the requirement for energy as well as all essential nutrients to prevent diet-related diseases such as obesity and dental caries. Examples of such guidelines are the “Eatwell Guide” recommended by Public Health England (Fig. 1) [1] and the Healthy Eating Pyramid of the Australian Nutrition Foundation [2]; illustrating different types of foods and drinks and the proportions in which they should be consumed. These guidelines are based on human nutritional requirements and dietary recommendations which are termed Nutrient Reference Values in Australia [3], Dietary Reference Values in the UK [4, 5], and Dietary Reference Intakes in the USA [6]. These values are general terms comprising a series of estimates of the amount of energy and nutrients required by healthy individuals of different age groups (Table 1).

Table 1. Terms of reference values for food energy and nutrients for groups of people in Australia, the UK, and the USA

Nutrients are divided into 2 categories, macronutrients and micronutrients, based on the amount required by the human body for normal metabolism, growth, and physical well-being. The impact of specific nutrients on oral health is discussed in detail in Chapters 3–6.