Chinese pickles protect teeth from cavities, Israeli study says

Sichuan pickles also help eliminate bad breath.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

If you want healthy teeth, hate going to the dentist, and love pickles, then we have some great news for you.

Any dentist could tell you that probiotics, a bacteria considered healthy for the body, can slow down the buildup of plaque over time.

According to researchers from the Ben Gurion University of the Negev and China’s Sichuan University, the high ratio of probiotics found in Sichuan pickles can reduce cavities by 98.4 percent.

The study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology found that out of two groups of rats injected with a high dose of Streptococcus mutans, the rats who were given Sichuan pickles to feast on had 20-30 percent fewer cavities after 35 days.

The research team also found that this probiotic strain found in Sichuan pickles can ward off tooth damage caused by sodium and acids.

“This could lead to probiotic mouth treatments, there are lots of possible applications,” BGU environmental biologist Ariel Kushmaro told Times of Israel. “The main idea is that probiotics can reduce pathogenic bacteria in the mouth that could lead to fewer problems with oral hygiene.”

Another upside of eating these Chinese pickles is that they help eliminate bad breath, something our loved ones might appreciate. Research shows that 85 percent of people with bad breath have a buildup of plaque caused by such things as a lack of oral hygiene and smoking.

So if you don’t mind swapping out bad breath for pickle breath, we highly recommend stocking up on Sichuan pickles.

If you can’t find them at your local grocery store or cannot understand why anyone would ruin a perfectly good cucumber by putting it in a vat of brine, then there other food products that help fight against plaque, such as Greek yogurt and sauerkraut.