Top 10 Teeth Stainers

Those pearly whites you've been flashing for decades may have taken on a bit of color over the years.

Unless you're a smoker or have used certain medications (the antibiotic tetracycline is a known tooth stainer), most likely you've indulged in at least some of these drinks:

1.   Coffee
2.   Tea
3.   Red wine
4.   Cola
5.   Cranberry juice

You might not expect the following items to cause staining, but evidence shows that they do. Generally speaking, if it stains your fingers, it will stain your teeth:

6.   Blueberries
7.   Soy sauce
8.   Balsamic vinegar
9.   Tomato sauce
10. Curry

At this point, you may be tempted to give your diet a complete overhaul and only consume white foods. But most of the foods and drinks that color your teeth actually are considered healthy.

You've no doubt heard the advice to pick your foods from all colors of the rainbow. The very pigments that cause your teeth to be stained are the ones that provide a hefty dose of vitamins and disease-fighting antioxidants. Anyway, who among us is willing to forgo the simple pleasure of that morning cup of coffee or relaxing glass of wine with dinner?

As teeth naturally take on color as they age, and as so many delicious and nutritious foods and drinks can cause staining, you might consider whitening your teeth. The simplest, least expensive way to do this is to buy whitening toothpaste. These toothpastes scrub away surface staining without changing the natural color of teeth. They're mildly abrasive and have few downsides.

A more aggressive course of treatment is to bleach your teeth. You can have your dentist do this, or you can do it at home. The dentist will apply a bleaching agent to your teeth, often using a special light or laser to enhance the whitening. If you choose to do it yourself, you'll wear a specially fitted mouth guard filled with a peroxide mixture. Sometimes these are worn overnight. While most people achieve the desired results with bleaching, there are risks. People with sensitive teeth may find that the bleaching process aggravates their condition. Mouth guards can irritate the gums. And if you have tooth-colored fillings, they won't respond to the bleaching, possibly leaving you with unevenly colored teeth.

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Source:

American Dental Hygienists' Association. "Tooth Whitening Systems.

Stomach Bacteria Might Be Making You Fat

Scientists from the University of Chicago Medical Center have showed that weight gain is not just due to excessive caloric intake, but also the interaction between intestinal bacteria and the body's immune response.

"Diet-induced obesity depends not just on calories ingested but also on the host's microbiome," said the study's senior author Yang-Xin Fu, MD, PhD, professor of pathology at the University of Chicago in a press release. A microbiome is the total of all microbes living in, and on, our bodies. Previous studies have revealed the differences in gut microbiomes in lean and obese people.

Though stomach bacteria has been in the spotlight before as a possible cause of obesity, this new research shows promise in the ability to alter the bacterial mix as a treatment for obesity—by either regulating gut flora or manipulating the immune response.

Measuring Microbes and Immunity

In the study, published in the journal Nature Immunology, scientists focused on the interactions between diet, intestinal bacteria, and the immune system to reveal some of the mechanisms that regulate weight gain.

According to the press release:

Researchers compared normal mice with mice that have a genetic defect that renders them unable to produce lymphotoxin, a molecule that helps to regulate interactions between the immune system and bacteria in the bowel. Mice lacking lymphotoxin, they found, do not gain extra weight, even after prolonged consumption of a high-fat diet.

On a standard diet, both groups of mice maintained a steady weight. But after nine weeks on a high-fat diet, the normal mice increased their weight by one-third, most of it fat. Mice lacking lymphotoxin ate just as much, but did not gain weight.

The high-fat diet triggered changes in gut microbes for both groups. The normal mice had a substantial increase in a class of bacteria (Erysopelotrichi) previously associated with obesity and related health problems. Mice that lacked lymphotoxin were unable to clear segmented filamentous bacteria, which has previously been found to induce certain immune responses in the gut.

To confirm the role of stomach bacteria in weight gain, researchers performed fecal transplants in mice raised in sterile environments.

The results: Mice who received bacteria that made the molecule lymphotoxin gained weight quickly. The mice that received bacteria lacking lymphotoxin gained much less weight for a period of about three weeks, before their immune system normalized the gut flora.

More research is needed before a clinical application is available. Such treatments may be administered through vaccines or antibiotics.

The biggest challenge: There are more than 500 strains of bacteria in the stomach. According to the researchers, finding "the precise microbes that promote such weight gain and the specific host responses that foster their growth need to be better established."

Which Comes First: Allergies or Asthma?

Allergies and asthma can often occur together, but does one cause the other? While it can be difficult to know, the answer is probably allergies—especially if you suffer from the very common condition, allergic asthma.

Understand the Allergy and Asthma Connection

Allergic (also called extrinsic) asthma is another name for asthma that's caused by an immune system response to an inhaled substance in the environment. Common allergic asthma triggers include pollen, dust, mold, pets, and cockroaches.

The symptoms of allergic asthma include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness or pressure, and shortness of breath.

Identifying Allergic Asthma Triggers

If you suffer from allergic asthma, the best way to protect yourself is to try to identify your allergy triggers either by paying attention to what you're doing when your allergies or asthma occur and/or by undergoing allergy testing. Once you recognize what's sparking your allergies and asthma, take these steps to minimize exposure to these items.

For seasonal (outdoor) allergens:

• Check the mold and pollen counts before going outside.
• Stay indoors on dry, windy days when the pollen count is particularly high.
• Keep your home and car windows closed to prevent outdoor allergens from getting in.
• Run your air conditioning.
• Shower and wash your clothes after spending time outdoors.

For indoor allergens:

• Remove carpeting, curtains, books, and other items that collect dust.
• Vacuum often using a HEPA filter.
• Wash bedding in hot water at least once a week.
• Use hypoallergenic covers on your mattress, box spring, and pillows.
• Run a dehumidifier to keep humidity between 30 to 50 percent.
• Banish pets from the bedroom.
• Fix leaks that can lead to mold growth and cockroaches.
• Cover food and keep floors clear of crumbs to discourage insects.

Managing Allergic Asthma

Of course even your best efforts may not be enough to keep you away from outdoor and indoor allergens, but you can take some extra steps to control your allergy and asthma reaction. Talk to your doctor about taking allergy control medications, have an antihistamine, and keep a fast-acting relief inhaler readily available.

If your allergic asthma is an ongoing problem, explore the benefits of undergoing immunotherapy to get you desensitized to allergy triggers.