Many dentists are beginning to support nutrition experts' position that chocolate milk is not a suitable snack for children, ABC News reported -- despite the fact that the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends it as a healthy snack when consumed in moderation.
Sugar comprises roughly 60% of the calories in chocolate milk, according to the article. Nesquik's 16-ounce containers of chocolate milk contain 58 grams of sugar, for example.
Even so, some factors make chocolate milk a better alternative to other sugary drinks such as soda, which derives 100% of its calorie content from sugar, according to the story. In addition, it is not acidic, which limits its potential to cause caries, and recent findings about chocolate -- dark chocolate in particular -- suggest that it inhibits bacterial growth and adhesion to periodontal tissue and tooth enamel, the article added.
