PICKLES May Prevent Tooth Decay

A new study has found that the probiotics in pickles and other fermented vegetables can prevent tooth decay and thwart the oral bacteria that cause cavities. The study, published in Frontiers of Microbiology, took place at Sichuan University in China. They took 28 female rats over a five week period and fed half of them strains of bacteria taken from 14 types of local Sichuan pickles. After a few days, the entire group was infected with a dose of cavity-causing bacteria known for speeding up tooth decay. At the study’s end, 35 days later, the researchers found that the rats who had received probiotics from pickles had 20 to 30 percent fewer cavities than the group of rats who hadn’t. Human studies on the efficacy of fighting cavities with pickles still need to be done, but the results of the rat study are encouraging.