Nutrition and Lifestyle News: Eat Yogurt for Fresh Breath

March 30, 2005

Not only does yogurt give you calcium for better bones, it may also help

keep your breath fresh. The latest news about yogurt comes from a

small Japanese

study (only 24 people took part) which showed that two servings a day

reduced the sulfide compounds responsible for bad breath and also

reduced dental

plaque and gingivitis (a type of gum disease). The participants ate two

servings a day of a sugar-free yogurt fermented with streptococci and

lactobacilli

for the duration of the six-week study. Analysis of samples of saliva and

tongue scrapings showed that the 80 percent of participants who had

halitosis at

the outset had lower levels of the sulfide compounds that cause bad breath

than they did during a two-week period when they ate no yogurt. The researchers

aren't sure whether regular commercial yogurt would work as well as the type

used in the study. But eating any sugar-free, live-culture yogurt may help.

The Japanese findings were presented in March 2005 at the General Session of

the International Association for Dental Research.

Source: MedlinePlus, March 15, 2005

--

Diana Gonzalez

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying - the longer a problem is

carried, the heavier it gets. Don't take things too seriously - live a

life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

-Unknown

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