cranberries and wine good for teeth

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By Amanda Chan

MyHealthNewsDaily

updated 12/17/2010 12:55:48 PM ET 2010-12-17T17:55:48

When you pop open thatbottle of red wine this holiday season, consider toasting its benefitsto your teeth. After all, compounds in red wine can prevent cavitiesand plaque build-up, researchers say.

The compounds — called polyphenols — block a molecule made by thebacteria streptococcus mutans, which are found in all our mouths, saidresearcher Hyun Koo, a microbiologist at University of RochesterMedical Center in New York.
Normally, these bacteria breakdown sugar we eat and make sticky molecules called glucans, which letbacteria to cling to our teeth and damage their surfaces, Koo toldMyHealthNewsDaily.
These bacteria also produce an acid that erodes the tooth enamel, leading to cavities, he said.
But the fermented grape stems, seeds and skins left over from wine productioncontain high amounts of polyphenols. The polyphenols can block theability of S. mutans to make glucans, letting the good bacteria in themouth thrive, while disabling the bad bacteria from sticking to the teeth, Koo said.
"The oral cavity is a very rich microbial environment, so you can't just smoke [the bad bacteria] out," he said. "There are beneficial and pathogenic organisms."


Koo, who was a dentist for two years before becoming amicrobiologist, also found that compounds in cranberries work similarly— they block the molecules that enable the sticky surface to form onour teeth.


source:

MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40719935/ns/health-healthy_holidays/