Scientists Create Candy That Doesn’t Cause Cavities

Dentists have always warned us that too much candy can cause cavities . But can all be a thing of the past thanks to a new experiment by scientists from the biotechnology company in Berlin , OrganoBalance .

It turns out that candy does not cause cavities at all . The bad guys are actually bacteria that keep our teeth after we eat the sweet treat . So the scientists ' logic was simple - reduce the amount of ' bad ' bacteria in the rod , and the chances of cavities must be naturally reduced .

After you eat a normal piece of candy , the bacteria in your teeth slowly release an acid that eats into tooth enamel . When has its down to the enamel , causing cavities to form it . One of the most common strains of bacteria responsible for cavities mutans streptococci . When you chew candy , these bacteria are released into saliva . If you swallow or spit , some bacteria are removed , but the rest sitting on your teeth and causes them to rot .

After several experiments , Christine Lang and his colleagues developed a OrganoBalance candy that contains dead bacteria that binds specifically to bacteria cavity - causes and kills them. The researchers know about Lactobacillus paracasei , a bacteria that reduces the levels of mutans streptococci by binding with it and reattaching preventing tooth .

Candy reduces cavities - sounds good , but does it work ? The researchers wanted to know whether L. paracasei could actually prevent cavities as they believed . So they developed a sugar - free candy with heat - killed bacteria sample and tested it on 60 volunteers . A third of the group were given candies with 1mg of L. paracasei , a third ate candies with 2mg , and the remaining third ate candies that tasted the same , without the bacteria . Each test subject was to eat five pieces of candy over one - and - a- half days .

And then it was time to test the theory . At the end of the experiment , the researchers found that three - fourths of the volunteers who ate candies with bacteria had considerably lower levels of mutans streptococci in their saliva than the day before . Another good news for researchers is that the L. paracasei did not destroy the beneficial bacteria in the mouth .

I can not wait to hit the candy store . I want to eat to my heart 's content , and offer some of my dentist too !