The modern diet is leading to an ‘epidemic of jaw shrinkage’ and causing orthodontic issues in children, according to nutrition expert Dr Tim Spector.
The Professor of Genetics reacted to a study which found that the typical size of younger generations’ jaws was shrinking as a result of the modern diet.
Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Catholic University of Valencia said the move away from a ‘hunter-gatherer’ diet based on meat and plant foods has reduced the size of jawlines.
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The study links the rise in ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and a softer diet to the dental deformities that result in teeth becoming increasingly crowded.
Common examples of UPFs are ice cream, ham, sausages, crisps, mass-produced bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits, and more, according to the British Heart Foundation.
The researchers say that UPFs are designed to be ‘hyper palatable’, resulting in them being eaten in vast quantities, which Dr Tim Spector believes is impacting jaw development.
Tim Spector says soft, ultra-processed foods are to blame for poor jaw development -Credit:Zoe
Dr Tim Spector told the Telegraph: “We’ve been going through this epidemic of jaw shrinkage for a few hundred years but it has really accelerated over the last two decades.
“As a result, we’re seeing a huge rise in orthodontic problems in children – a massive use of braces, and far more crooked teeth.
“The strongest current theory about why the jaws have been shrinking so rapidly is that we’re feeding on our kids baby food really for the whole of their lives – so that they just don’t develop the jaw muscles or the size of the jaw, and you aren’t really adapted for chewing.
“This is just another sign of how Western countries like the UK and the US have succumbed to this wave of soft, ultra-processed foods that is now the main diet of children, so many of whom are never really having hard proper foods.”
He added that scientists have not paid enough attention to the harmful impacts of soft texture foods, rather than the chemicals within UPFs.
Studies have shown that ultra-processed foods make up 57% of total energy intake in the UK, which is among the highest levels in Europe.
Toddlers in the UK get almost half of their calories from UPFs, which rises to 59% by the age of seven.
The study’s researchers investigated the diet of children between the ages of three and five and noted that consuming a diet primarily made up of liquids and semi-solid foods had an impact on jaw development.
Soft foods can have a harmful impact on our teeth -Credit:PA
The research, which analysed the children’s dental structures and skull shape compared to their eating habits, found that softer foods were linked to crooked teeth and a lack of natural gaps in children.
Laura Marques Martinez, one of the researchers, said: “Chewing plays a crucial role in the proper development of the jaws as it stimulates bone growth, strengthens facial muscles, and promotes proper dental alignment.
“Chewing solid and fibrous foods, such as fruits, vegetables, or natural proteins, exercises the jaws, helping to prevent issues like malocclusion (misalignment of teeth) and deficiencies in the size and shape of dental arches.
“On the other hand, diets based on ultra-processed foods, which are soft and require minimal effort to chew, negatively impact jaw development. These foods, by failing to adequately stimulate the maxillofacial muscles and bones, can lead to underdeveloped bone structures and increase the risk of malocclusion and respiratory problems.”