Scientists say bad breath can be cured by eating these three things
- Consuming probiotic supplements can reduce the severity of bad breath
- Researchers found the pills can lower levels of smelly proteins and plaque
- Relief from supplements is temporary and hygiene is still required
Scientists say they’ve found a cure for bad breath — and it’s in most people’s kitchens.
A meta-analysis of existing studies found that probiotic bacteria in fermented foods like yogurt, sourdough bread, and miso soup can remove plaque from the teeth and tongue, which is responsible for bad breath.
Volatile sulfur compounds are the main cause of persistent bad breath and occur when bacteria that live on the surface of the tongue break down proteins too quickly, creating an excess of the smelly chemical.
Probiotics are good bacteria that live in the body that break down and absorb nutrients from food and protect against harmful bacteria. Other probiotic-rich foods and drinks include pickles and the trendy tea, kombucha.
Researchers found that probiotic supplements can help fight bad breath by reducing the responsible proteins in the mouth while fighting the build-up of plaque in the mouth (file photo).
Several treatments for bad breath already exist, including mouthwashes, chewing gum, tartar removal, and tongue scraping.
While these can temporarily improve a person’s oral hygiene, bad habits or genetic factors can cause bad breath to return.
Researchers at Sichuan University in China investigated whether probiotics might expel proteins responsible for foul smell, just like bad bacteria do.
They searched research databases for relevant clinical studies published up to February 2021.
Seven studies involving 278 people proved eligible for their research – each comparing probiotics to placebo to treat bad breath.
The probiotics examined for the study were: Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus reuteri, Streptococcus salivarius and Weissella cibaria.
They were all in supplement form.
The number of participants in each study was small, ranging from 23 to 68, with an age range of 19 to 70. Monitoring periods ranged from two to 12 weeks.
The severity of halitosis was determined based on the levels of the responsible proteins – volatile sulfur compounds – detected in the mouth and on the tongue.
Researchers also included levels of plaque found on the tongue and teeth in certain studies, as this accumulation is also responsible for bad breath.
The pooled data analysis, published in BMJ Open, showed that bad breath scores decreased significantly in those given probiotics compared to those given a placebo.
A similar result was shown for the detected levels of volatile sulfur compounds, which, however, varied “strongly” in the individual studies.
The observed effects were relatively short-lived – up to four weeks – after which there was no noticeable difference. This means that a person needs to keep up with the supplements to get odorless breath.
However, there were no significant differences in tongue coating score or plaque index between those given probiotics and those who didn’t.
The author of the study, Dr. Longjiang Li, of Sichuan University in China, said, “Probiotics can inhibit the breakdown of amino acids and proteins by anaerobic bacteria in the mouth, thereby curbing the production of smelly by-products.”
However, the researchers urged caution when interpreting their results.
The sample sizes of the included studies were small and some of the data were incomplete.
dr Li added, “This systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that probiotics can relieve bad breath by reducing the concentration of volatile sulfur compounds in the short term, but there is no significant effect on the main causes of bad breath, such as plaque and tongue coating.”
“In the future, more high-quality randomized clinical trials are needed to verify the results and demonstrate the effectiveness of probiotics in treating halitosis.”
MICROBIOME: DOES IT CONTROL EVERYTHING?
Researchers now estimate that a typical human body is made up of around 30 trillion human cells and 39 trillion bacteria.
These are key to getting energy from our food, regulating our immune function, and keeping our gut lining healthy.
Interest in and knowledge of the microbiota has exploded recently as we now realize how important they are to our health.
A healthy, balanced microbiome helps us break down food, protects us from infection, trains our immune system, and makes vitamins like K and B12.
It also sends signals to our brain that can affect mood, anxiety, and appetite.
Imbalances in the gut are increasingly being linked to a number of medical conditions. Last year, scientists at the California Institute of Technology found the first link between the gut and Parkinson’s symptoms.
The composition of our gut microbiota is determined in part by our genes, but can also be influenced by lifestyle factors such as diet, alcohol consumption and exercise, and medications.