Jan 15, 2025 04:26 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025...f-our-jaws
INTRO: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have caused concern among experts for their potential impact on human health, but now scientists have warned they might also affect how our bodies develop, in particular our jaws. We take a look at the issue and explore what, if anything, should be done.
What has diet got to do with how our jaws develop? A number of studies based on skull measurements of individuals from different populations have revealed the shape of the human jawbone is associated with diet.
Populations that rely on agriculture have been found to have different shaped, typically smaller, jawbones than hunter-gatherers. This has been found in populations that lived either side of the transition to farming and in those living at a similar point in time but with a different diet. In the latter case, experts found the jawbones in children were similar before they were old enough to chew.
Researchers have even found differences in the size and shape of jawbones of people who lived before and after industrialisation, a time when people began to rely more on processed foods.
While teeth have also become smaller over time, experts say the size of the jawbone has reduced to a greater degree. Scientists say this could explain why many people today experience dental overcrowding, crooked teeth or misaligned bite.
“We can really see [malocclusion] accelerating when we transition to an industrialised diet,” said Dr Carolyn Rando, an associate professor in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology at UCL. The shift to smaller jawbones has also been linked to changes in the way we speak, helping humans form “f” and “v” sounds.
These associations are still being researched. However, one theory is that eating hard, chewy foods such as raw vegetables and meat requires a greater bite force, with research in animals finding more forceful chewing stimulates the growth of the jawbone... (MORE - details)
INTRO: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have caused concern among experts for their potential impact on human health, but now scientists have warned they might also affect how our bodies develop, in particular our jaws. We take a look at the issue and explore what, if anything, should be done.
What has diet got to do with how our jaws develop? A number of studies based on skull measurements of individuals from different populations have revealed the shape of the human jawbone is associated with diet.
Populations that rely on agriculture have been found to have different shaped, typically smaller, jawbones than hunter-gatherers. This has been found in populations that lived either side of the transition to farming and in those living at a similar point in time but with a different diet. In the latter case, experts found the jawbones in children were similar before they were old enough to chew.
Researchers have even found differences in the size and shape of jawbones of people who lived before and after industrialisation, a time when people began to rely more on processed foods.
While teeth have also become smaller over time, experts say the size of the jawbone has reduced to a greater degree. Scientists say this could explain why many people today experience dental overcrowding, crooked teeth or misaligned bite.
“We can really see [malocclusion] accelerating when we transition to an industrialised diet,” said Dr Carolyn Rando, an associate professor in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology at UCL. The shift to smaller jawbones has also been linked to changes in the way we speak, helping humans form “f” and “v” sounds.
These associations are still being researched. However, one theory is that eating hard, chewy foods such as raw vegetables and meat requires a greater bite force, with research in animals finding more forceful chewing stimulates the growth of the jawbone... (MORE - details)