Scientist warns daily use of Listerine Cool Mint mouthwash may increase risk of two deadly cancers
A [scientist] has warned Listerine may increase the risk of two deadly cancers and that people should not be using it every day. Daily gargling of the Cool Mint flavour was found to increase the level of two bacteria in the mouth in a recent study.
Both bacteria have previously been linked to oesophageal and bowel cancer.
It is believed that the alcohol in the mouthwash interferes with the normal level of bacteria in the mouth.
After three months of Listerine use, two species of bacteria – Fusobacterium nucleatum and Streptococcus anginosus – were found to be at much higher levels.
Scientists from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, also saw a decrease in a group of bacteria called Actinobacteria, which have previously been found to contribute to the regulation of blood pressure.
Professor Chris Kenyon, a scientist at the university who worked on the study, told The Telegraph that using the mouthwash “could increase their risk of cancer and various infections”.
He also claimed: “Most people should not be using it and if they do use it, they should use the preparations without alcohol and limit the use to a couple of days.”
I use Cool Mint Listerine all the time. Now they tell us? What about product testing and safety trials? I guess that would be too logical.
Time to move to natural alternatives.
WTF! I use Cool Mint Listerine every day, too, and have been for years. All this time, I thought killing the bacteria that cause bad breath (I think Listerine's ads used to say that) was a good thing. Damn, now what? I checked your link on alternatives, but I'm too lazy to mess with that. I'll look for an alcohol-free mouthwash or subject my fellow bargoers to my bad breath. One of those.
ReplyDeleteOne remedy for bad breath is brushing the inside of your mouth with your toothbrush, especially your tongue, and especially toward the back of the tongue (which can, admittedly, induce a gag reflex).
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go the baking-soda route: a teaspoon in a cup of warm water. Mix, swish around, spit.
I have never used mouthwash because I always figured that indiscriminately killing bacteria probably wasn't a good thing (after all, almost all of the cells/genes in our bodies are microbial). Yes, Listerine's ads used to use the verbiage that John mentioned, but what they didn't tell you is that Listerine kills all bacteria--it is not, and cannot be, target at one specific kind of bacteria.
ReplyDeleteBrushing the tongue along with your teeth is indeed the way to go. And, although I don't always do this, it's better to brush your teeth shortly after you finish eating, rather than waiting until just before you go to bed. I think most of us are in the habit of brushing our teeth right before bedtime, though. I do at least brush directly after lunch.
I wasn't aware of baking soda being used as a mouthwash. I know you can toothpaste with baking soda in it, though. I guess it makes sense.
C,
ReplyDeleteSo, you've long been a mouthwash skeptic despite "4 out of 5 experts" telling you that mouthwash kills only the bad bacteria. I guess I never questioned the supposed scientific wisdom. I've written on the blog about how hydrogen peroxide indiscriminately kills all of the bacterial flora in your mouth, thus possibly allowing for meaner bugs to enter unopposed (see here and here, for example), but I never made the connection to Listerine, which I've always assumed was a trustworthy product.
Interesting, non?