By Anouk Lorie
LONDON, England (CNN) -- When people think of
coffee, words such as caffeine, aroma and energy may spring to
mind. 'Good breath,' however, certainly isn't one of them.
So researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel, were in for a
surprise when their study into the relation between coffee and bad
breath, showed that coffee can actually lead to good breath.
Breath specialist Mel Rosenberg of the university's Faculty of
Medicine found that there are certain components in coffee that
inhibit the bacteria that lead to bad breath -- preventing these
bacteria from making their presence felt, or smelt.
"Everybody thinks that coffee causes bad breath," Rosenberg told
CNN "and as a latte drinker, I believe that too."
But the malodor doesn't necessarily come from the coffee itself,
said Rosenberg: "We think that coffee, which has a dehydrating
effect on the mouth, can ferment into bad breath when mixed with
substances such as milk."
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This meant that until recently, coffee was up there with not
eating a healthy breakfast, not drinking enough water and consuming
alcohol as causes for unpleasant mouth odors.
But until Rosenberg's study, no one had ever scientifically
shown the link between the consumption of coffee and bad
breath.
Rosenberg's team wanted to prove just that. They did the
research by taking saliva and incubating it with different brands
of coffee including the Israeli brand Elite coffee, Landwer Turkish
coffee, and Taster's Choice.
"We thought this coffee and saliva mixture would have a terrible
odor, but incredibly it had the opposite effect."
Rosenberg -- who also created popular mouthwash Dentyl pH -- is
now thinking about creating a mouthwash, toothpaste, or chewing gum
based on coffee.
The effects could be similar to plant extracts such as clove
oil, which have also been shown to have anti-bacterial properties
that prevent bad breath.
But first Rosenberg would have to find which of the hundreds of
components in coffee are the ones that have these beneficial
properties. "That will take a long time" said Rosenberg.
"But this research has already been a lesson in humility,
showing that assumptions are not always correct." Rosenberg -- who
also writes children's books such as 'Mel the Smell Dragon' -- told
CNN.
"And sometimes, getting it wrong can create even more
interesting outcomes."
