Bad breath, BMI and Booze
By Raychelle Burks
Stick with those resolutions to diet and exercise, and lay off the sauce. Besides feeling better and living longer, your breath will smell sweeter.Malodorous mouths have been linked to high body mass index (BMI) and booze consumption by Mel Rosenberg and his colleagues at Tel Aviv University. To sniff out predictors of bad breath, the team relied on a questionnaire, lab tests, and one important piece of equipment: “The gold standard is still the trained and calibrated human nose,” Rosenberg told the Null.
Calibrated noses identified bad breath, but lab tests measured stinky chemicals. So which are the chemicals that mar mouths? “Nobody knows for sure,” Rosenberg admits. Although, she says, hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell), methylmercaptan (rotten cabbage) and cadaverine (putrefied meat) might have something to do with it. Besides the stinky substances in patients’ breath, researchers also tested their saliva.
Rosenberg suggests that people with a high BMI may be less in tune to their oral malodour and have diets which promote dry mouths. Exactly how dryness causes bad breath is unclear, but Rosenberg offers two possible reasons - a lack of saliva, which is antibacterial, and a 'perfume effect'. “The molecules are more volatile when the liquid film dries out, just like a perfume on your skin, so they waft into the air when your mouth is dry,” explains Rosenberg.
A dry mouth can also be caused by drinking alcohol. And what's worse is that, in addition to turning mouths into deserts, alcohol breaks down into smelly molecules such as acetaldehyde. But we’re not just talking about the alcohol in your favourite cocktail, there’s also alcohol, ironically, in mouthwash.
To combat dry mouths and bad breath, Rosenberg recommends daily use of alcohol-free mouthwash and gum. Don’t skimp on
flossing, brushing, and trips to the dentist. And just to ram home the importance of New Year’s resolutions a little harder, the good doctor has one final suggestion – a wholesome diet.Check out one of Raychelle's other articles on the Null.
Some treats for your nose:
- Just desserts - Jelly up your nose
- Jazz dust - Coke on Spanish notes
- Cyber stuff - Electronic noses
- Plain silly - Eau de phone by Motorola
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