Coffee could be newest breath mint

June 24, 7:51 PMCharlotte Health and Happiness ExaminerKathleen Blanchard RN

    Breath specialist Professor Mel Rosenberg of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine says contrary to popular belief, coffee does not cause bad breath. In fact, coffee may be more effective than a breath mint because it can really cure halitosis rather than masking it. Components in coffee are now found to reduce bacteria in the mouth that cause bad breath.

Dr. Rosenberg says coffee drinkers often have bad breath because it is dehydrating "and becomes potent when mixed with milk, and can ferment into smelly substances." But that is not always true. “Contrary to our expectations, we found some components in coffee that actually inhibit bad breath”.

Dr. Rosenberg studied the effects of coffee on saliva in the laboratory. He expected to find the cause of bad breath associated with coffee. Instead, he found the opposite. Dr. Rosenburg says, "The lesson we learned here is one of humility. We expected coffee would cause bad breath, but there is something inside this magic brew that has the opposite effect." Three types of coffee were tested - Israeli brand Elite coffee, Landwer Turkish coffee, and Taster's Choice.

Purified coffee extract could be added to develop a breath mint that stops bacteria from forming. Other possibilities include gum or mouthwash made from coffee to control smelly bacteria in the mouth – the real cause of bad breath.

Dr. Rosenburg would like to find out which components in coffee fight bacteria in the mouth, leading to fresher breath. Coffee could eliminate the actual cause of bad breath. The discovery could lead to a better breath mint that treats the cause, rather than masking bad breath.

http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9909