Health
Fight
Bated Breath
Sugarless
yoghurt could help beat bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease,
say scientists.
Japanese
researchers found eating the yoghurt-reduced levels of hydrogen
sulphide - a major cause of bad breath - in 80% of volunteers.
The key
are active bacteria in yogurt, specifically Lactobacillus
bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.
Details
were presented at a meeting of the International Association
for Dental Research.
A total
of 24 volunteers who took part in the study were given strict
instructions on oral hygiene, diet and medication intake.
They spent
two weeks avoiding yoghurts and similar foods, like cheese.
Researchers
then took saliva and tongue coating samples to measure bacteria
levels and odour-causing compounds, including hydrogen sulphide.
The volunteers
then ate 90 grams of yoghurt a day for six weeks.
At the
end of the study, researchers took samples again. They found
hydrogen sulphide levels decreased in 80% of participants.
Levels
of plaque and the gum disease gingivitis were also significantly
lower among yoghurt eaters.
Added
bonus
Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health
Foundation, said: "The foundation has long been drawing
people's attention to sugar-free yoghurts as a healthy snack,
so it is pleasing to hear that it may have oral health benefits
we were previously unaware of.
"Frequent
consumption of sugary snacks is the principal cause of tooth
decay, which can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort.
"Although
this research is still in the early stages there is no doubt
that sugar-free yoghurts provide a much healthier alternative
to sweets and chocolate, and we would encourage snackers to
incorporate them into their diet."
One in
four people suffer from bad breath regularly, while 19 in
20 are affected by gum disease at some point in their lives.
However,
Dr Carter stressed that the best way to beat bad breath was
by adopting a good oral health routine.
This involves
brushing twice-a-day with fluoride toothpaste, cutting down
on the frequency of sugary snacks and drinks, flossing daily
and visiting a dentist regularly.
'Bad
breath' clue to lung disease
People with lung diseases have bad breath, according to scientists
in the United States. Researchers at the University of Virginia
say people with conditions like asthma and cystic fibrosis
have highly acidic breath.
What's
more, the acidity of their breath rises depending on how severe
their condition is.
Writing
in the European Respiratory Journal, they said a simple breath
test could help doctors spot these diseases.
Lung
acids
They said doctors should be able to distinguish between healthy
patients and those with lung diseases quite easily.
This is
because healthy people have breath which is slightly alkaline.
The researchers
said the acidic breath associated with people with lung diseases
may be caused by the
overproduction of acids in the lung.
They believe
this overproduction may even cause some of the symptoms associated
with these diseases.
Dr John
Hunt and colleagues said breath tests were a simple and reliable
way of detecting lung diseases.
They asked
100 healthy patients to breathe into a disposable breathalyser.
The patients
provided four samples a day for seven consecutive days.
This meant
the researchers could measure the pH levels or acidity of
over 900 breath samples.
They found
that their pH levels remained relatively stable and slightly
alkaline.
This is
in contrast to people with lung diseases whose readings fluctuate
but remain acidic.
The researchers
found that the breath test was more reliable than alternative
approaches, such as taking saliva samples from patients' mouths.
They also
found that breath tests were as accurate as taking samples
from the back of patients' throats.
Writing
in the European Respiratory Journal, they said the procedure
was "extremely simple to perform, inexpensive and robust".
In addition,
they have shown that pH levels rise if patients receive proper
treatment.
A simple
test which reliably measures pH levels could transform the
way these patients are diagnosed and monitored.
At the
moment, UK doctors use spirometers to diagnose lung diseases.
These machines measure the capacity and efficiency of the
lungs by getting patients to exhale into them.
However,
a recent study found that just 60% of NHS GPs have access
to this equipment.
Source:
BBC Health
Copyright
(R) thedailystar.net 2005
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