Mouthwashes may stain teeth
Over-the-counter mouthwashes really do kill bad breath, although some may stain the tongue and teeth, at least temporarily, according to the first systematic review of the effectiveness of these products. The findings are published in the Cochrane Library. Bad breath, or halitosis, is caused by the breakdown of bacteria in the mouth, producing foul-smelling sulphur compounds. Antibacterial mouthrinses are widely used to treat bad breath, despite some uncertainty about their effectiveness. Researchers from the ministry of health in Bahrain reviewed five randomly controlled studies that compared various over-the-counter mouthrinses to placebo in a total of 293 adults over the age of 18 with bad breath. They found evidence that compared with placebo and as judged by the human nose, mouth rinses containing antibacterial agents such as chlorhexidine and cetylpyridinium do markedly reduce levels of odor-causing bacteria on the tongue, while those containing chlorine dioxide and zinc neutralize foul-smelling sulfur compounds.

Sunlight, lack of antioxidants tied to eye disease
A combination of sunlight exposure and low blood levels of antioxidants may make older adults more vulnerable to a common vision-robbing disease called age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, researchers have found. For their study, published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, the investigators assessed 4,753 adults of ages 65 and up, roughly half of whom had AMD. The researchers found that participants with the lowest levels of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and zeaxanthin combined appeared vulnerable to blue light exposure. For every unit increase in blue light exposure, their risk of AMD climbed by 40 percent. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses will help shield the eyes from the sun, the researchers note.