Wine Mouthwash - Beer, Wine, Homebrew, and Everything Fermentable!

Wine Mouthwash

Written by DJ Spiess

Saturday, 26 January 2008

Wine not only tastes great, fights cancer, and lowers diabetes. Now it helps fight tooth decay too!

It seems almost silly at this point. Red wine seems to cure everything. Red wine has compounds linked to longevity , cancer cures, and a whole slew of other cures. Now a recently published study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry finds that there are compounds in red wine that can fight tooth decay.

The next mouthwash?

The problem with most mouthwashes is that that they kill beneficial bacteria and bad bacteria alike. Researchers from University of Rochester Medical Center and Cornell University found that the grape pomace (stuff left over after you press the grapes) reduces harmful mouth bacteria by 70 percent to 85 percent. They tested whole grape extract and grape pomace, but found that the pomace was most effective.

The compounds in the wine that retard the growth of harmful bacteria are known as polyphenols. The scientists believe the compound prevents the bacteria from producing enzymes necessary for glucan production. In short, they can’t reproduce.

The scientists are not recommending that we gargle with wine (oh well), but they do believe they can find the compound responsible and include it in a mouthwash. They also added that wine is acidic and would reduce tooth enamel.

Who is behind fermentarium?

My name is D.J. Spiess I've been homebrewing for many years and I hope I can help you enjoy this hobby as much as I do. If you enjoyed this article, please leave a comment, share it, digg it, or stumble it using the icons to the right or the top of the page.
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