Editing Candy (section)

==Health effects==

===Cavities===
Candy generally contains sugar, which is a key environmental factor in the formation of [[dental caries]] (cavities).<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|title = Maintaining and improving the oral health of young children|journal = Pediatrics|date = December 2014|issn = 1098-4275|pmid = 25422016|pages = 1224–1229|volume = 134|issue = 6|doi = 10.1542/peds.2014-2984|doi-access = free| last1=Segura | first1=Adriana | last2=Boulter | first2=Suzanne | last3=Clark | first3=Melinda | last4=Gereige | first4=Rani | last5=Krol | first5=David M. | last6=Mouradian | first6=Wendy | last7=Quinonez | first7=Rocio | last8=Ramos-Gomez | first8=Francisco | last9=Slayton | first9=Rebecca | last10=Keels | first10=Martha Ann }}</ref> Several types of [[bacteria]] commonly found in the mouth consume sugar, particularly ''[[Streptococcus mutans]]''. When these bacteria metabolize the sugar found in most candies, juice, or other sugary foods, they produce [[acid]]s in the mouth that demineralize the [[tooth enamel]] and can lead to dental caries. Heavy or frequent consumption of high-sugar foods, especially lollipops, sugary [[cough drops]], and other sugar-based candies that stay in the mouth for a long time, increases the risk of tooth decay.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url = https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/367563/DBOHv32014OCTMainDocument_3.pdf|title = Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention|date = June 2014|publisher = Public Health England|access-date = 2015-03-31|archive-date = 2017-01-21|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170121000120/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/367563/DBOHv32014OCTMainDocument_3.pdf|url-status = dead}}</ref> Candies that also contain enamel-dissolving acids, such as [[Sour sanding|acid drops]], increase the risk.<ref name=":4" /> Cleaning the teeth and mouth shortly after eating any type of sugary food, and allowing several hours to pass between eating such foods, reduces the risk and improves [[oral health]].<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

However, frequent consumption of fruits and fruit juice, which contain both acid and sugars, may be a more significant factor in dental decay than candies.<ref name=":4" />

The link between candy and caries was formally identified through the [[Vipeholm experiments]], where intellectually disabled people were fed copious amounts of candy and were found to develop poor dental health.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gustafsson |first1=B. E. |last2=Quensel |first2=C. E. |last3=Lanke |first3=L. S. |last4=Lundqvist |first4=C. |last5=Grahnen |first5=H. |last6=Bonow |first6=B. E. |last7=Krasse |first7=B. |date=September 1954 |title=The Vipeholm dental caries study; the effect of different levels of carbohydrate intake on caries activity in 436 individuals observed for five years |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13196991 |journal=Acta Odontologica Scandinavica |volume=11 |issue=3–4 |pages=232–264 |doi=10.3109/00016355308993925 |issn=0001-6357 |pmid=13196991}}</ref> The experiments are today considered to have violated multiple principles of [[medical ethics]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Krasse |first=Bo |date=September 2009 |title=The Vipeholm Dental Caries Study: Recollections and Reflections 50 Years Later |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00220345010800090201 |journal=Journal of Dental Research |volume=80 |issue=9 |pages=1785–1788 |doi=10.1177/00220345010800090201 |pmid=11926233 |s2cid=6314797 |issn=0022-0345}}</ref>

===Glycemic index===
Most candy, particularly low-fat and fat-free candy, has a high [[glycemic index]] (GI), which means that it causes a rapid rise in [[blood sugar]] levels after ingestion. This is chiefly a concern for people with [[diabetes]], but could also be dangerous to the health of non-diabetics.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Balkau | display-authors = etal | date = Mar 1998 | title = High blood glucose concentration is a risk factor for mortality in middle-aged nondiabetic men. 20-year follow-up in the Whitehall Study, the Paris Prospective Study, and the Helsinki Policemen Study | journal = Diabetes Care | volume = 21 | issue = 3| pages = 360–7 | doi=10.2337/diacare.21.3.360 | pmid=9540016| s2cid = 37025679 }}</ref>

===Contamination===
Some kinds of candy have been contaminated with an excessive amount of [[lead]] in it.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Medlin|first=Jennifer|date=2017-01-02|title=Lead: Sweet Candy, Bitter Poison|journal=Environmental Health Perspectives|volume=112|issue=14|pages=A803|issn=0091-6765|pmc=1247598|pmid=15515224|doi=10.1289/ehp.112-a803a}}</ref> Claims of contamination have been made since shortly after industrial-scale candy factories began producing candy in the mid-19th century, although these early claims were rarely true.<ref name="Kawash8">{{cite book|last1=Kawash|first1=Samira|title=Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure|date=2013|publisher=Faber & Faber, Incorporated|location=New York|isbn=9780865477568|pages=8–25}}</ref>

Contamination by infectious agents such as virus or bacteria is unlikely through sweets, including unwrapped sweets. This is in part because bacteria can not replicate in the very dry and sweet environment of candy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kan sjukdomar spridas genom lösgodis? - Fråga oss - Livsmedelsverket |url=https://fragor.livsmedelsverket.se/org/livsmedelsverket/d/kan-sjukdomar-spridas-genom-losgodis/ |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=fragor.livsmedelsverket.se}}</ref>

===Choking deaths===
[[File:Kinder Surprise Egg.jpg|alt=Thin egg-shaped chocolate shell, broken open to reveal a large plastic capsule that contains a cheap plastic toy|thumb|Candies with plastic toys inside can create a choking hazard]]
Hard, round candies are a leading cause of [[choking]] deaths in children.<ref name=Roach>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/health/mary-roach-on-studying-food-and-how-humans-eat-it.html?pagewanted=all|title=The Marvels in Your Mouth|last=Roach|first=Mary|date=26 March 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=28 March 2013|archive-date=16 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716030900/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/health/mary-roach-on-studying-food-and-how-humans-eat-it.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref> Some types of candy, such as [[Lychee Mini Fruity Gels]], have been associated with so many choking deaths that their import or manufacture is banned by some countries.<ref name=Roach /><ref>{{cite journal|author=Seidel JS, Gausche-Hill M|title=Lychee-flavored gel candies: a potentially lethal snack for infants and children|journal=Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med|volume=156|issue=11|pages=1120–2|date=November 2002|pmid=12413340|doi=10.1001/archpedi.156.11.1120}}</ref>

Non-nutritive toy products such as [[chocolate eggs]] containing packaging with a toy inside are banned from sale in the US. If the material attached to confectionery has a function and will not cause any injury to the consumer, it is allowed to be marketed. In the EU, however, the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC specifies that toys contained in food only need separate packaging that cannot be swallowed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:02009L0048-20140721&from=EN|title=Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of toys|publisher=European Parliament & Council|date=18 June 2009|access-date=8 April 2015|archive-date=26 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126180535/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:02009L0048-20140721&from=EN|url-status=live}}</ref>