The Popular Spice That Can Fix Your Bad Breath Woes – Health Digest

Whether looking for fixes for bad breath other than mouthwash to turn to every morning or trying to combat halitosis (an oral health issue that causes bad breath), cinnamon could be an easy and efficient addition to your life. 

According to a study by the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, cinnamon-flavored gum came out on top when eradicating bad breath-causing bacteria (40% of them, to be exact). The research recruited 15 people who were asked to arrive for the trial without brushing their teeth and then chew on three different variations of gum (one that had cinnamic aldehyde, one that had no flavor, and another that had everything except cinnamic aldehyde), per Science News. The gum with cinnamon flavoring seemed to work the best at eradicating bad-breath-causing bacteria like Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, and Peptostreptococcus micros.

“Our study shows that chewing gum can be a functional food, having a significant impact on oral hygiene over the short term, if it contains antimicrobial agents such as cinnamic aldehyde or other natural active compounds,” explained professor of periodontics and associate dean for research at the UIC College of Dentistry, Christine Wu (via Science Daily). Bad breath woes aside, cinnamon could also help with toothaches and prevent gum disease, per Healthline.