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There is a curse that has plagued humanity
since ancient times.
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The Greeks fought it by chewing
aromatic resins,
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while the Chinese resorted to egg shells.
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In the Ancient Jewish Talmud,
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it's even considered
legal grounds for divorce.
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This horrible scourge is halitosis,
otherwise known as bad breath.
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But what causes it
and why is it so universally terrifying?
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Well, think of some of the worse
odors you can imagine,
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like garbage, feces or rotting meat.
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All of these smells come from the activity
of microorganisms,
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particularly bacteria,
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and as disgusting as it may sound,
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similar bacteria live in the moisture-rich
environment of your mouth.
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Don't panic.
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The presence of bacteria in your body
is not only normal,
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it's actually vital
for all sorts of things,
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like digestion and disease prevention.
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But like all living things,
bacteria need to eat.
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The bacteria in your mouth
feed off of mucous,
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food reminants,
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and dead tissue cells.
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In order to absorb nutrients
through their cell membranes,
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they must break down the organic matter
into much smaller molecules.
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For example, they'll break proteins
into their component amino acids
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and then break those down even further
into various compounds.
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Some of the foul-smelling
byproducts of these reactions,
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such as hydrogen sulfide and cadaverine,
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escape into the air
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and waft their way
towards unsuspecting noses.
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Our sensitivity to these odors
and interpretation of them as bad smells
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may be an evolutionary mechanism
warning us of rotten food
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and the presence of disease.
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Smell is one of our most intimate
and primal senses,
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playing a huge role
in our attraction to potential mates.
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In one poll, 59% of men and 70% of women
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said they wouldn't go on a date
with someone who has bad breath,
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which may be why Americans alone
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spend $1 billion a year
on various breath products.
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Fortunately, most bad breath
is easily treated.
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The worst smelling byproducts come from
gram-negative bacteria
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that live in the spaces
between gums and teeth
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and on the back of the tounge.
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By brushing and flossing our teeth,
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using antibacterial mouthwash at bedtime,
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gently cleaning the back of the tongue
with a plastic scraper
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and even just eating a healthy breakfast,
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we can remove many of these bacteria
and their food sources.
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In some cases,
these measures may not be enough
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due to dental problems,
nasal conditions, or rarer ailments,
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such as liver disease
and uncontrolled diabetes.
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Behaviors like smoking
and excessive alcohol consumption
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also have a very recognizable odor.
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Regardless of cause,
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the bad smell almost
always originates in the mouth
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and not the stomach
or elsewhere in the body.
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But one of the biggest challenges lies
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in actually determining
how our breath smells in the first place,
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and it's unclear why.
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It may be that
we're too acclimatized
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to the smell inside
our own mouths to judge it.
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And methods like cupping your hands
over your mouth,
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or licking and smelling your wrist
don't work perfectly either.
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One study showed
that even when people do this,
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they tend to rate the smell subjectively
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according to how bad
they thought it was going to be.
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But there's one simple,
if socially difficult,
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way of finding out how your breath smells:
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just take a deep breath and ask a friend.