PT Health Life – Besides maintaining oral hygiene and regular check-ups, choosing foods like yogurt helps freshen your breath every day.
1. Some benefits of yogurt
Yogurt is a fermented food made from cow’s milk, goat’s milk… Yogurt is created by adding beneficial bacteria to milk, which helps convert lactose into lactic acid. Eating yogurt brings a number of health benefits such as:
Supports the digestive system
Yogurt contains many beneficial bacteria, also known as probiotics, which help balance the intestinal microflora. Probiotics help improve digestion, reduce constipation, diarrhea and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Yogurt also contains probiotics Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, which help strengthen the immune system and fight harmful bacteria in the intestinal tract.
Strengthen the immune system
Yogurt contains many vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A , vitamin D, calcium, and zinc, which help strengthen the immune system and fight disease.
Probiotics in yogurt also help strengthen the immune system by stimulating the production of immune cells.
Good for bone and joint health
Yogurt is a rich source of calcium, which helps improve bone and joint health and prevent osteoporosis. Yogurt also contains vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium better.
Helps control weight
Yogurt is a low-calorie, high-protein food that helps you feel full longer and reduces the number of calories consumed during the day. Yogurt also helps increase metabolism and burn calories effectively.
Good for heart health
Yogurt can help reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL), helping reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Yogurt also helps reduce blood pressure, another risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Good for skin and hair
Yogurt contains lactic acid, which helps exfoliate and brighten the skin. Yogurt also contains vitamin A, which helps maintain healthy skin and hair.
Helps reduce stress
Yogurt contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps reduce stress and improve mood.
Reasons why eating yogurt can help reduce bad breath
- Yogurt contains probiotics: Probiotics in yogurt help balance the microflora in the mouth, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, thereby reducing the amount of volatile sulfur compounds – the main cause of bad breath. .
- Yogurt stimulates salivation: Saliva helps neutralize acid in the mouth, removes leftover food and bacteria, helping to reduce the risk of bad breath.
- Yogurt contains calcium: Calcium helps strengthen tooth enamel, protecting teeth from tooth decay – one of the common causes of bad breath.
Note, do not eat too much yogurt as it can cause some side effects such as bloating, indigestion, etc. so you should follow the recommended amount.
2. Some studies show that yogurt eliminates unpleasant odors
Yogurt reduces odor-causing bacteria that coat the tongue
Yogurt is very effective in reducing bad breath. The reason is because yogurt is considered quite useful in reducing the amount of hydrogen sulfide (H2S, a chemical compound made up of two elements hydrogen and sulfur), also known as hydrogen sulfide gas. H2S is stored in different parts of our mouth creating bad odor. In the mouth, H2S is produced by anaerobic bacteria as they break down sulfur-containing proteins in food scraps, plaque, and dead cells.
Yogurt and cheese are often recommended by many dentists because these foods are rich in vitamin D, which helps reduce the growth of bacteria in the body. Furthermore, yogurt also keeps our digestive tract working well, thereby preventing bad breath.
A 2005 Japanese study found that live bacteria in yogurt can suppress levels of bacteria that cause bad breath. For six weeks, 24 study volunteers snacked daily on about 170 grams of unsweetened yogurt containing two common bacteria: streptococcus thermophilus and lactobacillus bulgaricus. Microbiologists at Tsurumi University tested breath samples before and after. Among volunteers with confirmed halitosis, levels of “bad” bacteria and hydrogen sulfide were reduced by more than half in most cases.
Lead researcher Kenichi Hojo said yogurt reduces odor-causing bacteria that coat the tongue, although researchers don’t know exactly how. One hypothesis is that in the dense layer of bacteria on the human tongue, good bacteria in yogurt eliminate odor-causing bacteria or they create an unfavorable environment for bad breath-causing bacteria.
Yogurt eliminates bad odors from garlic
One study conducted in a laboratory found that plain yogurt made from whole milk prevented most of the volatile compounds that give garlic its pungent smell from escaping into the air. This study was published in 2023 in the journal Molecules, yogurt can help eliminate garlic odor.
The researchers tested the ability of yogurt and individual ingredients including water, fat, and protein to neutralize garlic odors to see how well each was able to combat odors. Both fats and proteins are effective in eliminating garlic odor, leading scientists to propose that protein-rich foods could one day be specially formulated to combat garlic breath.
Senior study author Sheryl Barringer, a professor of food science and technology at The Ohio State University, and Manpreet Kaur, a doctoral student, were in the lab that performed the testing. The results showed that yogurt alone reduced the main odor-causing volatile substances in raw garlic by 99%. When used alone, the fat, water and protein components in yogurt have the effect of eliminating the smell of raw garlic. However, fats and proteins have a better deodorizing effect than water.
3. Which yogurt should I choose to reduce bad breath?
Dr. Mariliza LaCap, Washington Dental Association, said you should eat unsweetened or low-sugar plain yogurt to limit excess sugar in the mouth, creating conditions for bacteria to grow.
You should eat yogurt after meals to help neutralize acid in the mouth and eliminate leftovers. You can combine eating yogurt with fresh fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, pineapples,… to increase the effectiveness of reducing bad breath.
Although eating yogurt can help reduce bad breath, in reality this effect is only temporary and cannot be a substitute for oral hygiene measures and medical treatment if bad breath is caused by a medical condition. To find the cause of bad breath such as tooth decay, gingivitis, sore throat, etc., you need to see a dentist or doctor for appropriate treatment.
You should practice thorough oral hygiene every day, including brushing your teeth at least twice a day, flossing and using mouthwash.
In addition, you can refer to some other measures to reduce bad breath:
- Drink plenty of water to keep your mouth moist.
- Limit eating foods that cause bad breath such as garlic, onions, tobacco,…
- Use bad breath deodorizing products such as gum, lozenges,…
