Green Tea Fights Bad Breath
Green tea, whether iced or hot, has a multitude of health benefits. According to a recent study, you can add fighting bad breath to that list of benefits.
The study from Israel`s Institute of Technology revealed that antioxidants found in the tea, called polyphenols, fight a number of compounds in the mouth that can lead to bad breath, tooth decay and oral cancer.
The study focused on the particular polyphenol, epigallocatechin 3 gallate (EGCG), which is thought to have benefits such as preventing cancer, warding off heart disease and possibly Parkinson’s and Alzheimers.
The authors of the study noted that “Oral cavity, oxidative stress and inflammation consequent to cigarettes deleterious compounds may be reduced in the presence of green tea polyphenols”.
The study went on to report that, “Tea polyphenols possess antiviral properties, believed to help in protection from influenza. Additionally green tea polyphenols can abolish halitosis through modification of odorant sulphur components”
The results of this study add more evidence to the growing health benefits of green tea. While all true teas come fro the same plant, green tea is less processed and less oxidized than its more popular variation which is black tea. This lack of processing and oxidation give green tea more of the polyphenols that make green tea a so called super food.