Good morning!

Here's your Saturday 7 roundup!

🦷 A dentist's best friend:

Vegans are dentists’ best friends. 

Studies have found that vegans and vegetarians are much more likely to suffer from poor oral health than meat-eaters. (r)

Why?

1.    Higher consumption of carbohydrates 
 

Protein and fat don’t cause cavities. In fact, the breakdown of proteins shifts the oral pH towards alkalinity, rather than acidity as with fermentable carbohydrates. 

2.    Nutrition deficiencies

Plant-based diets can make getting sufficient vitamins, like K2, D, and B12 difficult, which are associated with caries and worsening periodontal health. (r, r, r)

3.    Oral microbiome

Excess carbohydrates cause dysbiosis in the mouth that drives decay. 

Additionally, vegans tend to have more C. Rectus bacteria in their saliva, a bacterial species found to drive periodontal disease (as well as adverse fetal development and found in the arteries of heart attack victims). (r)

🦴 Weak teeth = Weak bones:

Teeth can tell you a lot about what's going on in the body.

If you have weak teeth, there is a good chance you have weak bones.

Vegans don't only have an increased risk of caries, but also a 30% higher rate of fractures, a consequence of having lower bone mineral density. (r, r)

This is due to having high bone turnover thanks to low calcium, low protein, and low vitamin D — all critical for bone health.

Regarding calcium, you'd have to eat about 8 cups of cooked spinach to get the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk. 

And although cow's milk has lactose, the milk sugar has the least cariogenic potential of all di- and mono- saccharides. Further, the milk provides calcium, phosphate, and proteins that all help prevent demineralization of the teeth. (r)

Alternatives to animal milk contain little calcium, little protein, and lots of added sugar, a recipe for decay...and weak bones.

🎶 Music as medicine:

Music heals. 

Parkinson’s patients took guitar lessons twice a week and saw improved motor skills, mood, and quality of life. The control group who just underwent their usual care didn't get these benefits. (r)

It would be interesting if they replicated this research and compared other activities that challenged the brain like puzzles, language learning, and art lessons to see if there is something unique about music.

Regardless, most people stop pushing themselves to learn new things after school-aged years, but it's beneficial to keep challenging the brain throughout life.

✅ You need to answer "yes":

To get a result you need to be able to answer "yes" to this question:

Do you believe you can do the action(s) needed to get the result?

If the answer is "no" or "I don't know" there are 2 powerful ways to push you into "yes" territory...

1. Vicarious experience: Watching someone else succeed (especially if they are less capable than yourself) can convince you that you too can do it.
2. Personal performance: Your personal track record and history of success can build your confidence pushing you over the line from "maybe I can" to "yes I can." 

Gain confidence from others, build confidence in yourself, get results. (r)
 

🧠 What quote I've been thinking about:

The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.

– Mark Twain

🌏 What is everything changing:

Why is everything changing?

This pairs well with some interesting data points to help understand the seismic shift happening in global money.

🗣️ What is the most spoken language:

About 4.5% of people are native English speakers, yet almost 20% of the world speaks it!

As always, it's an absolute pleasure and honor getting to spend some time with you, hope you have a great weekend!

Kevin

P.S.

Dr. Kevin Stock
Founder, CEO
Meat Health, LLC | NED LLC
(314) 207-3216 (feel free to text me!)

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